Redemption starts by the Ocean
by GermanPumpkin
Summary: Erik flees Paris to ensure his survival and has to find a place in a world that has always rejected him. As he settles in the South of France he soon meets his new neighbour: a young and suspicious merry widow that owns half of the city and threatens his newfound balance. Erik/OW
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone!**

**I look forward to hearing your feedback! I have just been adding some new elements to this chapter. **

**The way I see Erik is as a man who has suffered all his life and had never known love, but he has been willing to live all this time and he will live once again no matter how. In my story he gradually realises that he doesn't have to be intimidating and threatening to get what he wants. His vision of himself is skewed but he will try to live with it day after day not thinking about what could happen in the future. I depict him as someone who doesn't talk much but who is polite and well educated, however his temper will often get the best of him. **

**Enjoy & Review :)**

Three days, three endless days since that terrible night when he had lost everything he had ever possessed… Had he ever possessed his beloved Christine at all. He had managed to run away from the deadly clamour of the mob, he had avoided the policemen, hiding in the filthiest and most insalubrious places of Paris. He had sat, crying for hours on a pile of rubbish. He felt filthy, old and disgusting, he just wanted to close his eyes for the last time and forget everything about this cruel world where he, obviously, had no place. But before, he wanted to see the opera house. He wanted to see how his madness had brought to ashes this exquisite place where the greatest ballets and operas had been performed for decades. People were moving away as he limped through the streets, trying to avoid as much as they could the stench arising from this beggar. He could have walked past policemen that they wouldn't have even thought about making a connection between him and the now wanted Opera Ghost.

Some posters where stuck on the walls, offering a reward for anyone able to find the dreaded disfigured man. A drawing was illustrating the bottom of the sheet; it seemed that the testimonies of his face made him even more of a monster than he was. On the illustration his nose was gone, his face was entirely disfigured and his skin was a mixture of falling flesh and exposed bone. It seemed that even with a half wretched face he couldn't get anything from his life on Earth, how would it be with a missing nose? Without it he wouldn't have been able to sing or to use his voice to seduce Christine… Perhaps it would have been for the best.

He shrugged his shoulder and continued to walk until he faced the charred building. Tears started to blur his vision and he managed to go to a more discrete corner before falling on his knees and sobbing loudly.

A few minutes later he felt a presence next to him, hopeful that it was death finally coming to give him his first and last embrace before sinking off to a dreamless sleep, he lifted his head. Dressed from head to toes in black it was not Death that was troubling him in his grief but the woman that had once saved him when he was a prisoner of the gipsies. Madame Giry was standing proudly next to him with a scowl on her face.

"You stink." She said calmly. "Come with me, we need to talk and I won't take no for an answer."

With those words she turned around, too astonished to react he watched her dark silhouette slip away. He managed to proceed what had just happened and ran to catch up with her pace. He followed her with a safe distance. They arrived in a grim street where she entered a little house. Closing the door behind her, he took a few moments to adjust to the dim lights of the candles. She was sitting by the table and waved him to take the sit in front of her. He didn't move.

"Well Erik, you look pitiful… Meg is running a bath for you upstairs, but first let's have a chat. Your madness has caused the death of Piangi and injured more than twenty people, what were you thinking? Obviously you were not… You were too obsessed with this child, she is but a child Erik, how could you have imagined a single second that she would answer positively to the dark passion you were showing her? It has never been question of your face Erik, I know you have suffered, more than a human being should in his entire life and death, but it is not an excuse! You are more than this wretched deformity, you're a genius, an architect, a musician, you're still young, you can even be charming when you're not too busy shouting at people or despising yourself… Life is far from over for you, that's why I decided to look for you. I once saved you, I hope that this time will make you realise that life is more than hatred and cruelty."

"But Madame, may I remind you that you were the one to bring her precious Vicomte to my lair, you have also betrayed me" He moved toward the dining table dangerously, with deadly bolts dancing in his green orbs. "You say you have saved me, it's true, but you have never tried to make me feel better or to stop me in my madness, why? Did you want me to do all those terrible things, did you want to see the sleeping monster wake up? I can tell you that he is very awake right now and also very angry, and that you're in his way."

"Oh god Erik, stop being dramatic, I am tired and I am not afraid by your empty threats" She spat. He didn't falter and continued.

"After all these years you should be able to see that I am not speaking lightly at the moment. I have lost everything and…"

"And whose fault is this? Mmmh?" She shouted as she suddenly stood from her chair. "I have warned you, I have told you countless time that you should stay away from her, you didn't listen to me, you yelled at me and told me that I was an old embittered woman. Do you remember? Yes, I may not have been as present as I used to when you came back broken from your travels, but I had built a life for myself and I had hoped you had too… I didn't know what to do with you, I already had a child of my own Erik. But I was there, as much as I could, and as you can see, I am still here. But I am angry at you, I want to hate you but I can't because I know that below the Phantom cold façade there's a broken heart that still beats frantically and that asks to be loved. I blame you but I don't want you to finish like your victims, hanging in the air, strangled by a rope… That's why you need to leave."

Erik was staring at her wide eyes, gradually getting the meaning of her words and realising the truth behind them. She let herself fall back on the chair and dramatically showed her surroundings by a wave of her hands.

"See where I live now? You have done that Erik, it's fortunate I had kept this little house from my late husband, but some of the musicians and chorus girls were not as lucky… I don't even know why I am helping you… Oh god, I must have been impacted by your madness… Anyway, if you have anything to say, say it, if not go upstairs, have a bath, shave, put on fresh clothes and leave Paris as soon as you can. Allez hop, hors de ma vue!"

Erik had kept his stare on the corner of the dusty carpet at his feet, avoiding the deadly gaze of the former ballet mistress. He felt like a child being being reprimanded by his mother. All the anger he had felt at her seemed to have faltered because, oh God it hurt... She was dreadfully right. He had nothing more to say and decided to comply and climbed up the stairs at once, he walked passed a trembling Meg cowered against the wall before entering the bathroom. He spotted a pile of clean clothes next to the bathtub, and on top of it: his mask.

When he reappeared in the dining room his was looking much better, but his eyes were still empty. It was as if his soul has left his body. Madame Giry nodded silently at his appearance, a slight wrinkle of concern on her forehead. She had seen his eyes and she was not sure he'd be able to start over… She stood up and said:

"This is your money, Meg found it before the mob. Jump in the first train that you can find and hide well. Identity controls are frequent, actually if you could find a way not to be inside the train it would be much better. I trust you'll find a way. Come on Erik, don't prove me that I was wrong to put my hope in you a second time. I want you to start to live on the surface, I want you to find a job! You have talent and as I told you no one cares about your face, may the lord help you to understand that… Now go, please."

He raised his gaze to look at her, he said hesitantly:

"Madame… Antoinette, I… I am sorry for never saying thank you, for never acknowledging your kindness or whatever it was that pushed you to help me... I will never be able to thank you enough… I can't take back what I have done but I can try not to do any more harm. Please keep the money, if I want to make a life for myself, which I am not yet sure I want, I will need to start from scratch… There's quite a big amount of money in this chest, use it to help those who have nowhere to go because of my madness, and use it for you and your daughter. I bid you farewell, I'll try to follow your advice but I… I am not sure… I'll try… I need to go."

On those words, he stormed out of the little house.

**Any thoughts? Xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter folks! I have added a whole part at the end and I hope you like it. Things are moving for our favourite phantom.**

**Enjoy.**

The night was dark and foggy which made the street's lights look like faltering ghosts floating in the air. His heels were resonating loudly against the cobblestones; some distant clamour could be heard but he was very much alone. He shivered under his thin jacket, winter had not yet left Paris and nights were still terribly cold. He walked past the Sorbonne and took a few moments to admire the impressive building, he had travelled across many countries in his younger years but had never taken the time to contemplate the beauties of French architecture.

He had lived under the surface for too long, it was time he tried to breathe some fresh air he thought, as he went through the Jardin des plantes. A few minutes later he had finally reached the Gare d'Austerlitz. The building was partially hidden by the thick fog which gave it an eerie aura. A shiver went down his spine, what was he about to do? Start a new life? How could he do such a thing after living in the darkness for so long? He had managed to escape, when he was around eighteen, to travel for almost ten years but when he came back to France, he had returned to the pitiful existence of a reclusive mad musician.

In the depth of his lair, he had rarely set a foot outside, too traumatised by the events that rushed his return to his birthplace. One day after he was back, Madame Giry had found him, frightened and pitiful, once again. And she had helped him, cleaned his wounds, once again. He should stop counting the times he had owed her his life, one day he should repay her he thought. But for the time being he needed to find a train. He sneaked through the huge entranced door, left ajar for the night, as guardians usually patrolled in the station. He made sure to stay hidden in the shadows when one of the guard strolled down the corridor whistling approximatively Verdi's Libiamo.

He ran swiftly to the platform. The ceiling of the station stood imposingly with its mixture of metal frame and glass; one could almost have spotted the stars if it were not as cloudy. That's what Erik thought as he lied on the top of the first carriage he had found. He had no idea where this train would bring him and he couldn't care less. At dawn he would start his journey towards the unknown, as a clandestine, once more…

He shot his eyes opened as the train whistled twice to announce his departure. He rolled over quickly and crouched closer to the frame of the carriage. He could hear the people shouting their goodbyes, holding or not their tears. He sighed, thinking that he could be one of this men bidding farewell to their beloved wives before leaving to care for their business in the country side. But he was not and will never be, because he was disfigured and broken and unable to let anyone near him. His heart was but an empty shell… He had thought himself incapable of feeling anything but hatred until… Until he saw this helpless little girl praying for her angel of music to come and protect her. He had not been able to resist the pull that made him answer to her prayer. That's how he became the faceless voice that trained her to become the grand soprano she had turned out to be. He had cared for her as a protector and a teacher. However, as the years passed, she bloomed into a beautiful creature and he could no longer deny the strange feeling that took hold of him each time he looked at her. He was attracted to her, as a man is toward a woman. Never had he felt that way before, he was always too busy killing and hating the others. But this girl, this unearthly beauty with the voice of an angel, he would never be worthy of her. And it turned out that he was not, she had denied him and fled away with her young and handsome Vicomte. How dared she? After all he had done for her…

But as he recalled what had taken place the previous year, she had all the reasons to run away from him and his dreadful temper… And she had kissed him, unmasked. She had not recoil from his ugly face covered in tears of shame and anger. And then she had left, he had released her in a moment of weakness. Had he been right to do so? Would she have fallen in love with him with the years if he had kept her in his world of never ending darkness? Would she had hated him and never let him touch her? The last option was more likely to have happened… How could have she? He was a monster. But he was a monster that wanted to live and to redeem his sins… Well, at least a small part of it as he would need more than a lifetime to repent from all the evil he had commit.

He laid for hours on top of the same carriage he had climbed in the middle of the night. His eyes stared blankly at the clouds that seemed to move along with him, his thoughts were philosophical and he regretted he had not asked Madame Giry for a book. Perhaps it was the cold that made his mind wander, he was indeed freezing. Fortunately, from time to time, he could feel, for a few seconds, some of the heat waves travelling from the locomotive.

The sun was high in the sky, noon was approaching and he had nothing to eat. His stomach was rumbling and he couldn't do anything to improve his condition. He could only hope they would stop soon in one of the cities on their way to Bordeaux. When the train had started to move away from Paris he had realised they were heading South West, that's how he guessed they must be going to Bordeaux.

During his time as the Opera Ghost he had overheard a tremendous amount of conversations between the elites of the society. That was how he would keep himself informed about the political state of the country, the wars and other major events. That was also when he learnt, about 6 years ago, that the late Napoleon III had been on board of the Paris-Austerlitz – Bordeaux Saint Jean train for the second time, during the whole 14 hours of the trip. He had only been there for a mere 5 hours and he was more bored than he had ever been in years. Indeed, as hope had miraculously found a way to his brain, he was not waiting for Death to take him away anymore. He just wanted to live as a new man and try to get rid of the thoughts of Christine that poisoned his mind and jeopardised his newfound and tenuous sense of sanity. He would never forget her, he loved her too much for that. He could try to hate her, but, again, he loved her too much for that. The only thing was to wait and pray that time would heal his open hearted wounds...

Each time the train stopped he dared not climbed down from his hideaway, fearing to be caught red handed by someone. So he waited, thankful that it was sunny and not raining. Fourteen agonising hours later he had arrived in Bordeaux. Night was there again and he could escape the station lost in a crowd of hundreds. He was happy he had kept a few francs to pay for food, he hated to steel. He was not tired so he walked for a couple of hours in the night, down to the small town of Bouliac. There, he found a small farmhouse and decided that he could sleep in the stables and leave before dawn. He found an empty stall and settled against the chaff before drowning into sleep once more.

Except that he didn't wake up at dawn and almost suffered a panic attack when he felt that he was being shaken by something – or someone.

He opened his eyes and reached out to the neck of his attacker, he stopped midway when he realised that the person who had woken him up was just an elderly frail woman. He stared at her in awe.

"And who do I have the honour to host in my humble stables? Was the chaff comfortable enough? I hope you have not come all this way to put an end to my lonely life?" She asked suspiciously.

"No madame, had I known I would oversleep I wouldn't have stayed here. I… I usually don't sleep much… I should leave, and, even if you didn't know about it beforehand, well, thank you for your hospitality." He answered politely while standing and getting rid of the remnant of chaff on his clothes.

"Wait, you look tall and healthy and I am in a terrible need of a hand to move my lemon trees outside now that the night frost has stopped. I usually send for someone in the village but if the village comes to me it's even better. As you can see, I live here by myself and I never recoil from the prospect of having company and as you sound like a proper gentleman I guess you won't refuse such an invitation from an old woman." Her malicious eyes lingered quickly over the masked part of his face making him very uncomfortable. Seeing his discomfort, she waved her hand in dismay and said: "I don't care you know, about the mask part… My late husband, you see, was a general, he served with our emperor, may he rest in peace, but one day he was injured and had to retire abruptly. His face was riddled with shrapnel from the cannon balls of the enemy. He had lost his left arm and was almost unable to use his left leg. I loved him anyway… But he is in peace now, and I am still here, taking care of my trees and my animals." She let a nervous laugh escape from her thin lips. "Do you want to see them by the way? I have two horses, three pigs, five hens, three cats, two dogs and well follow me and you'll meet them all!"

She turned away and Erik stared at her petite and stooped frame walk energetically towards the entrance of the stables. It was not how he had imagined the beginning of his new life but it would do he decided. So, he followed her outside.

Spring was everywhere. The April morning dew covered the beautiful green garden in a painted veil. Erik had been in this house for a month now, helping out the old lady and gradually recovering from a lifetime of abuses. Sometimes at night he cried himself to sleep, but on the morning when he met the eyes of the old woman, he felt a new strength growing within him.

He had learnt a lot about his host as she never stopped talking. Her name was Jeanne, Jeanne de Raincourt and she was a Marquise. He would never have guessed of her noble ascendance as she lived in a relative frugality, but the more he observed her the more he could discern the aura that graced her every move.

Jeanne loved to listen to him play the piano, it was one of the rare moment where she would compel to silence. His pain and unhappiness were obvious when she first spent a day with him, but after a month of outdoor work, sun and unceasing chats he started to show a softer side. She marvelled at his good manners and decided to teach him the ways of the noble gentlemen. In a month he had bloomed into a strong and gracious gentleman who could easily pass for a member of the socialite club. She had a plan for him, and as much as she loved having him around, staying in her house was not part of it.

She went out and walked toward the rose garden, it had been Erik favourite part of the small estate. She recalled as she called him out that it took him two long days to tell her his name.

"Erik! Come here and sit with me on the bench, we need to talk" He turned his head and smiled slightly at the sight of the long braided silver hair of the lady. He had found an unexpected peace since she had woken him up that morning, a month ago. Time had flied ever since, but he felt as he had lived more in that short lapse of time than he ever had before.

"You've been here for a month now, and it had been a wonderful month for me and I dare say for you too, you seem reborn my dear. All this anger, this sorrow, I can't spot them in your eyes when you take care of my horses or those roses. But you know you can't stay here for ever, you're still young and I am old. I have lived and you need to learn how to live…"

"I knew… I knew that I couldn't stay here forever, but I need more time I am not ready to face the others. I have never been ready and I am not likely to be in the next years, if I am ready at all in the future… This mask is all that matters to people and you know it! You told me how the nobles are judgemental and mean, I don't want that. If my life is to be peaceful and uneventful then so be it, I have had enough disasters in the past and I don't want any other…"

She patted his shoulder with a slight smile.

"I know, I know… But it's too easy to stay hidden, you need to challenge yourself. You told me you wanted to repay a lady that had helped you many time in your life, just do it then! Mmh? You know I am right don't you? I know of a place where I lived with my husband for many years when he was not in one of his stupid wars… It's about two hundred kilometres South, it was a really small city when I left about eight years ago, but it has never stopped growing. The Emperor had organised a palace to be built there for his wife, l'Impératrice Eugénie to have a bit of rest by the Ocean. Ever since it has become the place where nobility would get some fresh air and spend money in Casinos. You don't have to meddle with this people but I know you are ready to do it, yes, you are, believe me! I have made you a perfect gentleman…"

He let a bitter laugh of disbelief escape his lips but decided not to contradict her. He had had enough conflict and he didn't want to argue with her.

"Anyway… I have told you I was unable to have children and thus have no heir. I can't offer you much but I can give you my name and my house by the Ocean and…"

"No. You have already given me too much Jeanne. Your offer is too kind but I will have to refuse it." He said calmly.

"Nonsense! I was not asking your thoughts; you will take it Erik. You said you owed me? Well that's how you'll repay me: by taking this offer and living like a grown up man. It would make me very happy."

He stared at her dumbfounded, how can someone be that infuriating and generous at the same time. He was tempted to say yes as it could be the best opportunity to ever own something and above all have a name… Be someone. And not anyone, a nobleman. How could fate be that twisted when he had deserved the gallows he was given a house and an identity. He had to say yes, she was right. But before he had to tell her.

"Then I'll take it, but only because it can make you happy… I don't know how to thank you; you have made me indebted to someone once again. I don't deserve all that you give me. If only you knew what I had done in my past, I have never told you because I didn't want to see the only person that offered me hospitality turn her back on me. But you know I have done terrible things, I have killed many persons, some were not innocent, some were just in my way… I am a monster; I think you should know it before you give me all of those things."

She smiled sadly and told him: "I somehow knew that you had a complicated past, I also feel that you have never been loved properly. You have a big heart Erik, a heart that only wants to give but has never received anything so far… I want to give your heart a first demonstration of love and I am sure it will help you collect the missing pieces that will lead you to happiness. I don't care what you have done before, I was not there to see it and I only judge people for what they are when in my presence. You have helped me, look at the garden you have given this house a second life and this month with you as my guest was one of the happiest in a long time. It is me who should thank you for bearing my unceasing blabber."

"I…I" He was at a loss of words. In two sentences she had given him more than anybody else in his thirty-six years of existence. They continued to talk for a few minutes and they walked back to the house. He prepared a bag taking some clothes with him and a few tokens. He felt his heart heavy and realised he was sad to part from this woman. She waited for him and the stables.

"Take Éclair with you, this horse is only happy when mounted for hours and he seem to like you since you've been the only one to take him out in ages."

He smiled at the sight of the beautiful dark bay Akhal-Teke ready to be ridden. Jeanne came to his side and put her hands on his shoulders.

"I will miss you, but I know that it's for the best, write to me when you'll have settled in your new life. Now go."

After a quick hug that took him by surprise she turned her back and walk back to the main house.

He started his journey toward this city called Biarritz, where he was now the owner of a huge property.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just so you know why I chose the city of Biarritz, I have been visiting this city every summer as a child with my parents and I came back last summer with my boyfriend and I absolutely love this city, so I felt like it could be the perfect place to start this fiction.**

**I have done a bit of research and Biarritz only started to really soar around 1890-1900, so every place that I mention might not have existed in 1881 but I decided to alter the time. It's the same when I talk about the mayor and the city hall, Biarritz's first mayor was chosen in 1788 (Thanks Wikipedia) following a national law establishing that every town or city should have a town hall. I could have placed the story in the 1890's but I prefered distorting the French history instead. And you might not have learnt that haven't I done such a thing ;) Isn't writing amazing for that.**

Friday 20th April 1881 had been a big day for Hortense de Montmarin. She had had two meetings with interior designers and architects to make sure that the Casino Bellevue was redecorated according to the new fashions à la mode in Paris. The season was to begin soon and she expected that this year would bring even more people than the previous. Last year they had welcomed the Russian tsar and many Russian nobles, the military pourparlers between the two countries had a positive influence on the city's economy. They were also expecting to bring some artists from all around the world to entertain their guests, but she had been struggling on this side and was still sending tens of letters across Europe and hoping to get some answers as soon as possible.

Since her husband's death, and even since he had been sick she had had to take over all of his responsibilities. At first she had been shy and uncertain but now, after almost two years of running around and talking to important people she was a different person and she loved it. It could be stressful sometimes as she was the only woman in a man's world but she was constantly looking for new ways to make them hear her voice.

Thanks to her late husband, she owned most of the city's touristic and entertainment buildings. Her reputation generally preceded her in the business: she was smart, tough and she couldn't suffer being disrespected. She was feared by those who worked with her but she knew how to be kind, well at least she was working on developing a softer side to her personality now that she had earned some respect. She didn't have many friends amongst the ladies of the Biarritz society, most of them thought that it was improper for a noble woman to do business. She decided they were jealous and she didn't need their approvals to live her life the way she wanted to. The only thing that mattered to her was the support of her two closest confidents since she had arrived in the city, Joséphine Louvois and Claire d'Irrandea.

She was twenty four years old, a rich business woman and known to every inhabitants as the Merry Widow.

Her father, Antonio Morretti, had left Florence with her one month after her mother had died. They had travelled to France and had stayed two years in Marseilles before moving to the West coast. There, her father had resumed his functions as an architect working closely with Henri de Montmarin, an outcast from the nobility that made a fortune as a business man. When Hortense had reached the age of eighteen, she was considered as one of the prettiest women the city had to offer for marriage. Her father refused to part from her and had denied every proposal until his employer, monsieur de Montmarin had asked his daughter's hand. And the only thing he told her as an explanation was "I am so sorry _mia piccina_, I had no choice." That was the last time she had talked to her father. They still saw each other as they lived in the same city, they exchanged some polite words but acted as strangers. She could never forgive him; he had given her innocence to this pig of a man. When her despicable husband suffered a stroke, he never fully recovered and stayed paralysed on the left side of his body until he died eleven months later. His death came as a relief, but she was now alone in a world of men and couldn't mention that she had her husband's approval when someone disagreed with her propositions. Black became the new colour she wore on a daily basis, she was Montmarin's widow and she should be considered as her legitimate successor in the business. Her fiery temperament was what granted her a place in the middle of these men, but she still wore black even if the one-year period for grieving had finished last month.

Making people forget that she was from the weak sex had been an everyday struggle, especially because she was an exotic beauty with her slightly tanned skin and brown sparkling eyes.

She tossed her gloves on the sofa and dismissed her governess. How good she felt once at home, she had managed to get rid of the remnant vestiges of her husband's presence and had redecorated the whole interior to her taste. She opened the back door and walked around her garden, night was gradually falling and she could see the lights in the neighbour's house. Wait… What? This villa has been empty for at least four years, she had actually never seen lights in it… Who was there? Did the former tenants return after all these years? Who were the owners of this house? She didn't lose time and came back inside, calling for Amaia, her governess.

"Amaia, you have served my late husband for more than fifteen years in this house, could you tell me who owned the villa next to mine?" She asked as she grabbed an apple and took a bite.

"Indeed Madame, I have. If I remember well it was a couple, the Marquis and Marquise de Raincourt. They were lovely, the husband had served for Napoleon III and about ten or eleven years ago he had returned injured and disfigured. He died soon after from his injuries, and his wife left in the following months. People said they were very in love. No one knows what had happened to the Marquise after… But not a soul has lived in this house eversince."

"I see, and did you know of any relative that could have come back to live in this place?"

The governess shrugged her shoulders.

"No one I could think of Madame. The poor Marquise couldn't have any children so I don't see who could have come to live here… Maybe it's a cousin or another member of the family…"

"Mmmh… I'll do my investigation; I doubt it's a thief so I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to satisfy my curiosity. Would you bring me a bottle of wine Amaia? I feel that I deserve a glass tonight."

On those words she went to her second living room and started to sort out the books of the Casino Victoria. God how she needed this glass of wine!

Across the road, Erik had been trying to make his way through the dusty rooms of the gigantic villa. He would make sure to find someone to clean up these years of neglect. The only thing he needed was to put the bedroom in order so that he had a place to sleep in. He felt a weird feeling, as if he was not home and all alone… He discarded those thoughts and put himself at work.

Before the sun had shown its first beams, he had walked to the city hall to drop an announce that he was looking to hire a butler and maids to take care of his house. He had signed, Erik de Raincourt. When he had first set foot in front of the big villa he had known that his days of calm and anonymity were over. A masked man as the owner of one of the biggest villa in the neighbourhood, he would be the talk of the town. But for now, he would stay hidden and put some order into his house. He had not slept at all and had cleaned the main living room and entrance. The decoration was old and grandiose, a bit too much for his taste but he could live with it for now. The next step was to find a job, he only had enough to live a couple of months idly but that was it. He would introduce himself as an architect and find someone to work for.

Back in his villa he had gotten rid of his vest, and had rolled the sleeves of his shirt, he would need new clothes too, he thought. But for now, he had discovered a piano that was in desperate need of tuning. No sooner had he started his endeavour than he heard a knock on his front door. _Dammit! _He thought, _I can't believe it's a bloody servant that has already seen my offer, it's too early… Oh god I should have never listen to that woman and I should have stayed hidden in the middle of nowhere. I am not in the mood… I should pretend there's no one. Yes, let's do that! And this person will leave. _

He stayed silent, standing in the middle of the living room hoping that the intruder would go away. But the knock on the door didn't stop and he heard a muffled feminine voice:

"Hey is there anyone in here? I live in the house across the road, I wanted to introduce myself as I saw there were some lights in the house yesterday!"

Of course he didn't answer. Long seconds passed and he heard again:

"Hello? Please, if there is anyone in here, could you answer me?"

_Could that damned woman just take care of her own business and get away from my house? _ He thought as he was getting angry. Anyway, he was in no state to talk to anybody. He was dishevelled and hadn't slept in twenty-four hours. He didn't have time to proceed another angry thought that he heard the front door creak opened.


	4. Chapter 4

Hortense had not slept a lot that night, she had too many thoughts in her head, too many questions that remained unanswered. At seven she laid awake and was waiting eight to knock on the neighbour house's door. She dressed in a black dress, it was one of her most revealing pieces as the top of her cleavage was visible; she would have to look welcoming and warm. So she had to make her appearance more… Well, inviting. Her curves were generous despite her muscular frame and small waist; she was not very tall but compensated with higher heels than the usual fashion. She had to look as imposing as she could in business, which was made difficult by her size and feminine silhouette.

When she arrived in front of the wood door of the mighty villa, she was hit by the beauty of the estate, even if ivy and wild vines were covering the walls after years of neglect.

She knocked on the door and announced her presence. After a few minutes without any answer she decided to check if the door was locked. It was not.

The door creaked open and to her utter surprise she saw a man standing right in front of her. Her eyes had to adapt to the lack of light in the entrance but she soon was able to discern the face of her neighbour. He was dressed in black trousers and a white frilled shirt that was far too open to be called decent. His dark hair was all over his features, and… Oh, what was on the right side of his face? A mask? Was he a crook? She wondered. She was tempted to turn back and run away to the safety of her house, but good manners made her open the dialogue.

"Hi… Hum, sorry to interrupt I didn't know the door was opened, and, well you didn't answer so I didn't know anyone was there…" She started walking toward the tall stranger that stared at her in confusion. "My name is Hortense de Montmarin, I live in the villa Joly, just across the road… I wanted to come to introduce myself and meet the new owner of this long abandoned house."

She stopped walking when she was a couple meters from the man. She had dealt with intimidating clients and collaborators but never had she felt such a dark aura around someone. Piercing green eyes were gauging her from head to toes, she felt a shiver run down her spine. His face, at least the part she could see, was handsome, but a cold and intimidating kind of handsome. All her senses felt troubled by his presence.

"You're in my house Madame." He stated coldly. A thick silence fell on the room for long seconds. "I am Erik de Raincourt, a relative to the former house's owners. Whatever has been the cause of your curiosity; now that you know that no thief has settled next to you, you should leave Madame, I have much to do and I am in no mood to talk."

On those words he turned his back on her. It was the first time in a long time that someone has disrespected her so. No one walks back on Hortense de Montmarin! She felt the initial fear turn into anger.

"This is no way to treat a neighbour that only asks for introduction _Monsieur de Raincourt._ I see that a noble name doesn't mean being a gentleman. I won't bother you any longer but you should know that…"

"Have a good day Madame" He said coldly bending next to the piano.

She couldn't believe her ears. Who was this rude man with a mask that was dismissing her like a mere loose woman? She let the anger take the best of her and ran to his side to force him to look at her.

"I doubt that you know who I am Monsieur, I…"

"I do, you've just introduced yourself, thank you." He cut her, annoyed.

"How dare you interrupt me when I am speaking?" She spat raising her voice. "You will look at me and remember well this face. I own half of this city and you will soon learn that I am not a person you want to count as your enemy."

He let a cruel laugh escape his lips before, raising to his full size once more. He was much taller than her, and now very close to her petite frame. She had beautiful angry brown eyes he thought, like Christine's… _No, not again, I have to stop thinking about her._ That musing made him even angrier, first she entered HIS house uninvited, second she refused to leave, and third she was threatening him. He was now waiting for her to talk about the mask… But if she did, he couldn't answer of his actions.

"Well, you'll soon learn Madame that I am not one that you can threaten lightly. I don't care how important you are, I just want to settle in my house, hire my servants and start a quiet little life here that doesn't include your babbles."

He hissed, moving closer to her face. She felt weak and as if she had just been caught in a spider web. She took a step back and replied with as much self-assurance in her voice as her trouble allowed.

"Then I am leaving, but as much as I dislike you I am afraid our paths will cross again monsieur, and don't come to complain after such a behaviour if things turn out to be more complicated than you had first planned. I don't wish you a good day."

She slammed the front door as she left and Erik released a breath that he didn't know he was holding. God, who the hell was that infuriating young woman? And why was she dressed in black? Maybe she was a widow… He admitted that he had not been very welcoming either, but she didn't have the right to stroll in his house. This Hortense de Montamrin was at least as rude as he was and had a terrible temper. Well, she didn't ask about the mask… But why this fury of a woman was his new neighbour? Why couldn't he get an old couple of blind people, that wouldn't see his face and let him live his life the way he intended?

Fate was against him, and he started to regret accepting this offer from Jeanne.

She was furious, no, that was not enough to describe the state of irritation this hateful character had put her through. She shouldn't have yelled but… How dared he?

She decided that life must go on and thus walked towards one of her friend's house.

"Hortense? How are you, I feel like it's been ages since I haven't seen you! You've been working so much." A red hair woman of about twenty-six years old said, a smile on her freckled face as she invited her friend in the living room.

"Oh Joséphine… I am so sorry I was not very present lately… Please tell me you have time to catch up with me today? We could go and drink a hot chocolate at Miremont, what do you think? I have much to tell you…"

"Is everything alright my dear? You look distraught…"

"I have just met an obnoxious person about half an hour ago… And he turns out to be my neighbour. We had quite an improper exchange and were very rude to each other, not a very good way to start the day is it?" She let a nervous laugh escape her full hearted shaped lips and pushed her friend toward the entrance door of her house. They started walking toward the city centre and Joséphine realised that it had been a long time since she had seen her friend in such dismay. She used to come to her when she was back from complicated meetings. She would insult everybody including herself, saying that she wasn't able to handle anything in business and the task was too big for her. But it hadn't happened in months. Her self-confidence had improved greatly, or at least her impassive façade made her seem more confident and had protected her heart.

Sat on a table by the back window, they looked at the waves crush against the rocks while sipping a hot chocolate and eating a croissant. They talked about daily things and the city's freshest gossips. The morning's incident was soon forgotten and life went on as usual.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much for the reviews! **

**Trouble is starting for our favourite Phantom. Hope you like this chapter, don't hesitate to leave a review, I love them :)**

Erik let himself drop on his freshly made king size bed, exhausted by the eventful day he had just passed. A mid-aged woman and her daughter had knocked on his door about three hours after the unfortunate encounter with his terrible neighbour. They were dressed in rags and appeared malnourished, the young daughter explained that they had lost everything in a huge fire that also took the life of her father and little brother. Ever since they have been looking for work from town to town.

"We arrived in Biarritz yesterday and almost got cast away from the City Hall's threshold. But we had time to pick the announce and… Well we'll work hard Monsieur, I am young and healthy and my mum, even if she doesn't speak French very well, she has already worked as a maid for the Marquis d'Arcangues. But he dismissed her because he didn't want any servant that spoke bask, he was afraid they would plot against him… My mum had never wished evil on anybody, she's the best mother one could hope for Monsieur…" Her blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears, she was quite tall and had a strong accent that he had never heard before. She had her mother's nose, a bit too big for her angular face.

"There's a lot to do as I have just arrived yesterday. See this week as your trial. Grab some breakfast and put yourself at work. I want my bedroom ready for tonight. You will address me as Monsieur, what are your names?"

"I am Izarra Etxaberria and my mother is Maider Etxaberria. Oh _eskerrik asko jauna_! Thank you Monsieur, _Amatxi, Ongi Da_!" She told her mum with a bright smile, letting her tears finally stream down her cheeks in happiness.

"You'll celebrate after your day at work, follow me I will show you the third floor. It is where you will stay." He said, his face as emotionless as his mask.

At first the two women had had a movement of recoil seeing the mask of their potential employer, but the fact that he hadn't drove them out of his property was enough. He had been kinder than all the rich owners they had been talking to. They were safe and they had to earn their place to the side of their mysterious master.

Erik was happy to have let the two women a chance, they had been more efficient than he could have dreamt, Maider had even brought him a tisane after dinner, which had been a thousand times more appreciated than the visit of his infuriating neighbour.

He let out a sigh of frustration, he had managed to forget about her by busying himself, but now that he was relaxing she had to annoy him again. He hadn't hated someone as much in a long time… He had been rude, but she had been worse. He had no reason to see her in the next weeks as he would look for a work. She said she owned half of the city but there was no chance she would take part in all the organisation part, she was a woman dammit.

The next morning, he woke up early, as usual, and before even having breakfast, he went strolling in the small streets before the city was awake. That's how he found the small, in comparison to his house, but beautiful Hotel Particulier in the rue du port Vieux that belonged to a Monsieur Antonio Moretti, architect. Well, that was a start he thought. He knocked on the door, and then realised that it was only quarter to eight.

The city had begun to stir, but no one had paid attention to the tall stranger with a hat hiding most of his face.

He hoped that the early hour would not sabotage his first impression, which was usually quite a shock for the person in front of him.

An old butler opened the door and asked about his identity, he let him penetrate within the propriety and left him to wait in a big antechamber with marble checkerboard pattern on the floor. It was decorated with a lot of taste and he saw that if the architect was very thorough on his house decoration he would likely be someone interesting to work with.

Heavy footstep coming from the living room interrupted him in his musing, a man of short stature appeared in front of him. His skin was darker than the elite standards of the period, his dark eyes scanned him with intensity. He had a straight nose and remained quite good looking despite the fact that his waist had grown larger with the years. He talked with an heavy Italian accent, there was no doubt it was Monsieur Moretti.

"Good morning Monsieur, could you tell me to who do I owe the pleasure at such an early time?"

This comment managed to make Erik feel uneasy, it was the first time he had to face someone and ask for a proper job. Indeed, assassin doesn't count as a proper job, let alone Phantom of the Opera... His hands were damped, he was gradually stressing and he didn't like it. He felt just like the two women that had begged him to become his employees. He set aside his insecurities and started to talk, with as much confidence as he could gather.

"My name is Erik de Raincourt, I have just settled in the villa on the little hill, parallel to the Hotel du Palais. I have been an architect for almost my whole life, abroad in general. I have brought some drawings with me as I had hoped to work for you. I get tired if I do nothing of my life and I have an obsession for beauty and perfection." He stated, faster than his usual talking pace.

"Well well well." He said taking the little briefcase from Erik. "Follow me on the terrace we will review your work around a cup of coffee. I never start talking business without my coffee. François could you bring us the breakfast please?" He addressed his butler before turning his heels and heading towards the balcony, quite quickly for his small height – he couldn't be higher than 6'5.

The man turned out to be very pleasant to talk with, he had a lot to say and to tell. His story was impressive, bankrupt and forced to flee Italy after the death of his wife 15 years ago, here he was, between Biarritz, Bayonne and Bordeaux, one of the most fashionable architect of the region. Erik admitted that his work was very good and that his sense of aesthetic was similar to his own. After two hours of unceasing chat, the man told him that he was more than happy to take him under his wing for the first projects and then let him fly away if he managed to impress him. Erik let the ghost of a smile illuminate his face.

"Were you at the war Monsieur?" He waved at his mask. Shit. Erik gnashed his teeth in contained anger, why on Earth do people have to ask? He breathed slowly, the way Jeanne had showed him to calm his temper.

"No Monsieur, it is unfortunate that I have borne this mark since my birth. I don't have the excuse that honour and sacrifice for our country caused this wretched wound. If it is a problem for you then I will leave and you won't see me ever again." He stated coldly.

The answer he got from the man was a pat on his shoulder and an enthusiastic statement:

"No offense wanted, dear associate, I just cared to know more about the man I am about to work with to build the most beautiful buildings the city has ever seen."

Erik relaxed a bit and nodded. He was about to take his leave when furious heels mounted the stairs and burst into Moretti's office. _Oh God, not her… _

"How dare you? When would you stop making my life a nightmare _Padre_? Was ruining my innocence not enough that you have now to ruin my business? I have just heard that the two architects I had hired were to withdraw from the Casino Bellevue project to serve one of your stupid aristocratic house? I need to be ready for the season, this bloody old English man didn't even give you any deadline…" Some hair strands were falling from her tight bun, her cheeks had taken a rosy colour from anger and exercise. She was quite sight, Erik thought, except that she had destroyed every bit of beauty in her by opening her mouth.

Monsieur Moretti didn't answer at first and was about to say something when she noticed Erik. She furrowed her brow and spat:

"You…"

"Me." He said raising an eyebrow, he was almost amused that she was at a loss of a word seeing him. Her father interrupted the weird exchange by speaking apologetically.

"I am sorry _Piccin…_ Hortense. I needed them to check an unanticipated problem in the foundation. I will send them back in a couple of day once everything is back to normal. I don't know, I had sent a word to your house asking about it a few days ago"

"You're always sorry anyway, as for the letter, well she must have fallen to the trash." She said smugly, however her eyed betrayed a deep hurt. Her father was starting to get angry too, he said harshly:

"Well I won't say I am sorry again, but as you don't want to talk to me and our business often cross over it makes things harder for both of us! I just want you to listened to me, I have tried for years to show you how much I felt guilty about this decision. _Non avevo scelta_."

"Maybe you should try by telling me why you didn't have the choice… But I don't want to make a scene today."

_You're already making a scene_, Erik sneered.

"I am tired _Padre_, and I have much to do, so find a solution and I'll make sure to do my part of the job that takes into account communicating with you for emergencies and business related things."

"Why did you have to take your mother's temper?" he muttered for himself.

"Well, I have a solution: Monsieur de Raincourt has just started working for me and he's very talented, he will help you in the time being. And it seems that you already have met so…"

"NO!" Was their spontaneous answer. They stared in awe at each other, at least they agreed on one thing. They didn't want to work together.

The only problem was she had no choice, if the refurbishment took more delay she would be very embarrassed for the launch of the season which was in less than two months. Oh god she had to work with the infuriating man that was standing next to her. She took a quick look at him and decided she had to do it.

"Well, after careful overall reflection, I can't afford to say no. I can't believe this is happening, and once again because of you _Padre_."

"What? And who cares about my opinion in all that?" Asked Erik startled.

"See it as your first task, surviving under my daughter's command. Good luck, I hire you full time if you succeed." He whispered as close to Erik's ear as he could, which made the former Phantom smirk.

The whole scene almost made her complain again but she decided that she would stop. That's what Joséphine had advised her to do, try to see the positive in everything, stop complain and accept what happens to you. Easier said than done…

"I accept" Erik said, moving his hand forward.

She first stared at it with displeasure but finally accepted to shake his hand. What she didn't expect was the bolt that went through her body at the contact of his warm skin. Their eyes met in incredulity before they quickly removed their hand like burnt by fire. She shook her head and turned on her heals, walking quickly toward the staircase to hide her trouble.

"_Padre_, I bid you good luck with your frivolous house, I am leaving." She stopped before the first step and stared at Erik with challenge in her sparkling eyes. "Follow me if you please, Monsieur de Raincourt. We have lost enough time for today and we need to put ourselves at work."

_I should never ever have listened to that damn old woman and stayed hidden… I guess fate is punishing me for my sins…_

Were his last bitter thoughts before he quietly thanked Monsieur Moretti and stormed out of the room.

**I have actually spent time looking at the bask language to make sure the names and sentence were accurate. A lot of people from the country side didn't speak french at the time. I have been to an office in bask when I was there, and I must say that, sang, this language is a regal for the ears! I invite you to check!**

**_Amatxi, Ongi Da _****means in bask, mum it's all good (we're saved).**

**_Non avevo scelta _****is the Italian to say I didn't have the choice.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I am back! More Erik & Hortense to come, will they murder each other? **

**Leave a review, I'd love to hear your thoughts :)**

The walk to the Casino Bellevue was made in utter silence. Erik was more and more intrigued in the character of Hortense de Montmarin. What she had said to her father had made him curious about her and what she had been through in her life; however, he still found that she was terribly detestable.

When they entered the building Erik was mesmerised, it was a beautiful piece of architecture, the volumes of the entrance where generous and the marble floor was shining under their steps. Columns were on the side of the huge entrance, giving an ancient Greek style to the room.

"Ah, Jean-Marie, you're here!" Hortense said, a small smile on her lips at the sight of a bald tall man. "How are you today? Good? Mmmh great to hear that because there's much to be done! Please meet the new architect that will work with you on the completions of the concert hall, Erik de Raincourt. I trust you to run him through the plans and give him the last updates about the site. Have you seen Monsieur Aritxmendi? I need to see him about the ball room… By the way I'll need your help on that room Monsieur de Raincourt. Would it be okay to join me at 3pm and look at what can be done? Good. Well, good luck gentlemen and if you need anything you know where to find me."

She quickly smiled and disappeared behind one of the columns. Erik was astonished, who was this woman? How can someone so hysteric can become such a bright and smiley manager? How could he actually feel respect for her in that instant, when he only wanted to squeeze her pretty little neck a few minutes ago? One last thing was still making him angry: he was working for her, so in a way she was controlling him… He didn't like it at all as he couldn't trust her yet. Such a changeable character… Not reliable!

Anyway, he needed to put himself at work; he fired the bald man with questions to understand more what he would have to do. He met the different workers that were now under his command, he felt empowered, like he used to in Persia. He worked quickly and was able to spot the problems before everybody. In 4 hours he had managed to earn every man's respect and planned everything to catch up with the delay. When he was working, he managed to forget his difference and make the other dismiss it as well: he was a genius and that was all that mattered.

Hortense had been watching him for a few minutes. He was very at ease, she wouldn't have guessed such a thing and was impressed. The man couldn't be all bad if he was able to gather a troop of workers and make them follow his every order in half a day. Maybe her father had been right to recruit him… However, it was now 3pm and he seemed to have forgotten their appointment, she would make sure this behaviour wouldn't happen again.

A mere second after she had just proceeded this thought, Erik turned around and stared straight into her eyes. _Those eyes_, she thought with a shiver. He walked toward her, an enigmatic look on his face.

"Madame, I see it's 3pm, I have just ordered Jean-Marie to have a look at the right side of the stage. The good news is that everything looks quite in order and if the workers keep moving at this pace, it will be finished in less than a week. What is it then that you wanted me to see?"

She cleared her throat, feeling unsure to stand as a manager in front of this intimidating man.

"Well, that's good news. If we manage to get ahead on schedule, we'll be able to spend more time on the decoration and making sure every little detail has been thought out. As I told you earlier today, we have been rebuilding the ball room and seem to have some problems in terms of general fitting with the original building. Wouldn't you mind having a look?"

"Of course."

She nodded and he followed her in silence. Their professional exchanges felt like faked courtesy. She didn't like it. As he walked around the room to inspect its architecture, she watched his feline and gracious pace. She managed to put her strange thoughts aside to pursue with what needed to be done before the end of the day.

"Well… There's still much to be done but I think we've managed to catch up with the delay! Please have all a nice evening of rest and Monsieur de Raincourt will take over tomorrow morning so I'll see you all on Friday. Thank you very much everyone." She announced with a faint smile before heading out. The afternoon had been long and intense and, once their dissident set aside, they were surprised to see how well they could work together. The footsteps of her new architect were a mere meter from her. She realised that they were going in the same direction. Even if they had done a good job together during the day it didn't mean she wanted to prolong the moments in his presence. But she didn't really have the choice did she?

"You did a good job today; I am glad my father can show some good judgment sometimes" She said distantly.

"Thank you, I enjoyed it very much, your men are good and efficient. You're lucky…." He started before pursuing without thinking. "What happened?"

"What happened with what?" She asked turning her head to look at him defiantly.

He regretted his answer the second he pronounced it.

"Your father."

In a split second her face became distorted with rage.

"Do I ask you what happened with your mask?"

He gritted his teeth. He should never had asked, now she had made him upset.

"No, and you'd better never mention it again."

"And why so? Are you a criminal trying to hide from the world? What are you hiding, a battle scar, a mark? You want to know what I am hiding but you recoil if I mention your mask. This discussion is over. We'll keep our talks for business matter, I still don't enjoy talking to you."

"How dare you? Maybe I am a criminal and maybe the only thing that I want is to squeeze your neck…" He hissed dangerously. "Your mouth is poisonous and your words are venom, I don't talk to vipers."

He increased his pace and left her immobile in the middle of the street. He had called her a viper, she wanted to cry out of rage and it was his neck that she wanted to squeeze between her fingers.

Three days later, she woke up earlier than she intended, her meeting with investors was only at 10am and it was 6:30am. Stress was filling her mind and she didn't want to languish in fear of the demanding men in front of whom she would have to present her projects. So she decided to saddle her horse and go to one of her favourite place to swim and empty her mind. It was a little creek protected by rocks where waves were smaller than in the other beaches. Mid-April was early for a first bath and she knew the water would be very cold, but she didn't care, she was used to it.

She dismounted her horse and attached it to a small tree before starting to walk down the path towards the beach. What she missed though, was the beautiful black stallion hidden behind a bigger plane tree.

Before emerging onto the beach she spotted clothes spread on the floor. She immediately squatted down behind a rock afraid of being seen. Who had found her place, it was her guilty pleasure and she was not willing to share it with anyone.

When she took a look at the water she saw a silhouette, it was a man. She could only see his back. As the figure emerged from the water, she felt heat rise to her cheeks. His back was well built and she could see the droplets of water running down his muscles and… Was that scars? Oh it didn't matter; her eyes were following the path of this droplet down to a well-proportioned bottom that sent an unfamiliar warmth to the lower part of her belly. Who was this Greek god bathing in the Ocean? He passed a hand through his dark hair cut to a familiar length. The figure started to turn around slowly so that she could observe his profile. _Holy Cow… Why did it have to be HIM? _It was _him_, her infuriating handsome neighbour. His features were relaxed and he was more beautiful that she had ever realised. She could spot the silhouette of his mask above his straight nose. Why was he still wearing it? She wanted to see him, entirely.

Soon he was facing and she could see almost everything down to his… He opened his eyes and stared right towards where she was hiding. She slid down the rock and tried to hide as much as she could. Had he seen her? Oh God, she was very much in troubles if it was the case…


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone, thanks for reading! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter that is longer than planned. There's a lot that is about to happen :)  
Don't hesitate to review!**

_Oh my God, oh my God! _Was all she could think about as she ran away from her hiding place and grabbed her horse's reins. She pushed her mare faster than she had ever allowed her to gallop. But she needed to escape this place, that would be extremely embarrassing if he had seen her. What would she say? She was hiding and crouching to get a better sight of his naked body, there was no confusion possible. If he knew what she was thinking, her credibility when working with him would be non-existing and as he was quite a smug jerk he would take pleasure at reminding her that she had been enjoying herself… Well he didn't know the last part but she was sure he would be bold enough to assume it. What was happening to her, she had thought her late husband had been able to destroy every part of her attraction to men. Of course she had left her eyes wander on some handsome faces a few times, but never before had she felt such a stir in her lower belly. She realised that she was attracted to this bloody Erik de Raincourt… It must have been purely physical because she hated him. Well, of course it was physical as she hadn't realised it was him at first. But when she saw his face she didn't recoil, she even opened her eyes wider to get a clearer picture of every details of his body. That was not good at all… She needed to forget this and if her prayers were heard, he might not have spotted her and she would go back to her usual routine.

This morning getaway was supposed to calm her not create unwanted conflict in her already complicated mind. She had shut herself from being a woman and feeling like a woman. Wearing black was one of the way she used to curb all her feelings. She had dived into work and management, she was good at it, she loved it but she was not living for herself anymore. She had not been thinking about herself since the announcement of her engagement four years ago. It had shattered all of her dreams of romance and adventure. But God had heard her and had ridded her from her pig of a husband, she had started a new life, but she had refused to feel like a woman anymore. Men had disgusted her and she was bound to rely on herself to get things done. And she was happy this way.

However, she had just witnessed that nature was sometimes stronger than the mind, she had been disgusted of sexuality by her late husband but, her body seemed to have found a new interest. Also she had been hearing Claire and Joséphine's stories about the amazing things they were doing with their husbands… It might have had some unexpected impact on her, after all… She sighed as she handed her mare to the stable man, the day would be long.

* * *

The water was very cold, but it felt good to have the salty waves brushing against his skin. He loved swimming in the sea, he might get used to this city, it was calm and peaceful, he had a job and he was accepted for what he was worth. He had been there for ten days now and was about to start his fifth day at work. He felt like a new man. He was lost in his thoughts when he heard a distant brush of clothes and a fast-paced clap of a horse's hooves. Had someone passed by and seen him? He couldn't care less as he was wearing his mask and it was not considered an offense to bathe naked in the ocean. He was a bit cold so he went out of the water and started to get dressed. On his way back to where he had tied Éclair, he saw a white piece of clothing on a small rock. He picked it up and inspected it. It was a handkerchief with two letters embroidered on its corner.

HM. Hortense de Montmarin, or Hortense Moretti? That was all he could think of while staring at those initials. Had she been here? Had she seen him? He smirked at the thought. If she had dropped it when running away, which would match the noises he heard a few minutes ago, it meant she had been confused. That was if the woman was able to feel anything at all apart from anger. But if his assumption was right, maybe it would give him an advantage on her and he'll be able to finish working for her sooner than expected. She was the only thing that made his new life sometimes complicated. She was a hateful viper, why couldn't he have met a nice and beautiful woman with an angelic voice that would have made him forget Christine? She had very nice features but she would ruin everything by being hysteric. No one could ever be like Christine and he doubted that he could find someone half as amazing as her in this small city. She was gone to him forever. She had chosen Raoul over him and she won't appear one morning on his threshold asking for his love and forgiveness; as he often dreamt. He still loved her eventhough it was getting less and less painful with the days passing. He had not met many women since Christine, apart from Jeanne, Maider and Izarra and of course the infuriating stalker… He didn't needed women in his life, he had survived his whole miserable existence without knowing the loving touch of the fairer sex, it would not change and he had to accept it. However, he needed to write to the women that had brought him another kind of love, Antoinette and Jeanne who had been some kind of motherly figures. He owed them a lot. But it could wait.

First, he would get his revenge on his employer and confront her about the handkerchief.

* * *

The meeting with the investors had gone well, she had showed them around the city, had kept them updated with the most recent projects. She had even managed to stumble upon the mayor who happily acknowledged his complete faith in "the young Madame de Montmarin" and the fact that her management skills were "as obvious as her beauty". Even if she wasn't really fond of that kind of comments, it seemed to have worked and she now had a huge amount of money to build more touristic attractions for the following seasons.

She had seen her father too, he seemed stressed and weary, they had exchanged some polite words in front of employees and investors and continued their lives separately.

It was now 6:30pm and the sky was starting to show some rosy clouds due to the falling sun. Yet, she had until 8pm before the sun would disappear in the Ocean. She decided to take a stroll along the coast towards the Rocher de la Vierge. The beautiful rock was standing proudly in the middle of the untamed waves, about a hundred meters from the shore. It was reachable through a small bridge that was still being in construction to make it more secured for the upcoming season. On top of the rock was a white statue of Marie, her hand extended as if she was watching over Biarritz's citizens and sailors.

Hortense was in her thoughts when she felt a shadow obstructing the sunbeams from getting to her face. She raised her eyes and found two blue-green pools that made her heartbeat accelerate as she remembered the events of the morning. _Self-control, that's not worse than today's meeting._ She thought as she took a step back.

He had been deliberately joining her onto the little footbridge going to the Rocher. God he knew… She was panicking, but she managed not to show it. Except that he could see in her eyes that she wasn't as calm as usual.

"Monsieur de Raincourt, to what to I owe such an unexpected… Well, meeting?" She stated, looking away from his intense gaze. She resumed her walk along the bridge.

"Madame" He started, his voice filled with contempt and sarcasm. "I saw you, lost in your mind and decided that I could bid you good evening."

"How thoughtful of you…" She answered rolling her eyes as she decided to face him again. _Jeez_, his jacket was really well fitted and images of his naked silhouette flashed in her mind, she bit her lips to prevent herself from blushing. "You would never come to me if you didn't have a more urgent purpose as we both know that we have… Let's say, well, some bones of contention. So my question is what do you want?"

He raised his visible eyebrow and replied:

"I see you don't trust my good will, which I can understand. But you're right I am here because I have something that, I think, might belong to you." He took the handkerchief and her eyes widened. She must have dropped it on the beach. She was trapped, the bastard he knew and he would do his best to make her feel embarrassed. There was no way she would allow him to win.

"My handkerchief… Where did you find it?" She asked with as much control as she could.

"On the little beach on the upper north road towards Bayonne through the coast, I think you know which one I am talking about."

_Bloody bastard._

"Yes indeed, I usually go there to have a bath, I must have dropped it when I went there yesterday evening why? Have you discovered this amazing place too? You'll soon learn that I don't like to share." _Bam what do you think of that!_ She searched his eyes looking for confusion and was more than happy to see him hesitate when speaking next.

"You… Well please have your handkerchief." She was good he thought. He couldn't tell whether she was bluffing, she must be for she looked panicked when she first saw him. She grabbed it and got away from him in haste. He realised she must hate him even more than he hated her, worse she recoiled from his proximity.

"I scare you." He stated. She turned on her heels and stared at him, where was his self-assurance and smug contempt? What did he expect, that she would shy away and admit that she had stared? No way, it seemed that he was not aware yet of her persuasion powers. That was one of the reason why she was good at her job and managed to be respected even if she was a woman.

"You don't, but I don't trust you."

"That's wise he said, I am no gentleman Madame."

"Thanks for stating the obvious… Well as we're unveiling blatant facts: I am no common widow and submissive woman and I don't trust men in general, so I don't know what you're trying to achieve with this conversation but I'd rather put an end to it. Let's keep our meetings only for work don't you agreeaaaaaaah! "

As she was walking backwards she had not seen the slippery rock and lost her balance. Unfortunately, she was not in a secured zone and found herself falling over the bridge right above the deadly rocks of the Rocher de la Vierge where the waves would crash. Before she could even shout, she felt a hand grab her wrist with some unfamiliar strength. She was dragged toward a solid wall instead of her imminent death. The wall was in fact her exasperating neighbour's chest and she was standing very close to him in a more than inappropriate position. She felt blush rising to her cheeks, she couldn't fight this one.

"What… What happened?"

"Y… You, well you slipped and you were about to fell over so…" He didn't finish as he was apparently very embarrassed as well.

She was too shocked to make the slightest move and remained staring at his stunned face, her hand resting on his chest and her legs entwined with his.

He was no better than her. The feeling of her body pressed against him was not something he had time to mentally prepare for. He had had to react so fast when he saw her lost her balance. She could have died, and he could have said goodbye to freedom and peace as he would certainly be held responsible. He had wanted to annoy her, to make her grow angry again but she had refused to enter his game, and had almost died hadn't he decided to save her. Except that because of his will to provoke her, he was in a very embarrassing situation.

She tried to move to get back on her legs and brushed against a very sensitive part of his body which tore him an unexpected muffled noise from the back of his throat.

"Oh, sorry… Did I hurt you?"

"Not really." He answered gritting his teeth as he pushed her away and rose up on his legs. He closed his long coat in a haste, looking away from her and not even helping her to get up. He looked like as if he had been burnt.

"Well sorry anyway… And thanks for saving me, I wouldn't have expected it from you." She said still shaking from the fear and panic her imminent death had caused.

"I wouldn't have expected it from myself either…" He answered still looking very uncomfortable as his body was still recovering from a very primitive reaction to the proximity and contact of a feminine body.

She laughed nervously, he had never heard laugh, it was a nice sound.

"Glad to know that we found at least one thing on which we agree… I… I'll go home I need a drink to make me forget that I had a very complicated day and I almost died… I am talking way too much which means that I am in shock… Hum… Not good. I bid you a good evening then."

He did something he regretted immediately:

"Wait, I will walk you back." She stared at him with wide eyes.

"What? Didn't you hear what I said before I… Well anyway, I guess we can make an exception for tonight, I don't want to fight. Do whatever you want."

He roared dangerously, what had he been thinking when suggesting such a stupid thing? And who was she to turn him away when he was letting his pride aside?

"I proposed it as part of my duty as a…"

"As a gentleman? Didn't you say you were not that kind of person?"

"Bloody hell! Could you keep your mouth shut for once, I am trying to stay polite and calm? I know you're shocked as you're shaking like a leaf, but it's not a bloody reason for being an absolute pest. Walk yourself back home then!" He yelled, angrier than ever. He wanted to push her over the bridge now. She made a few backward steps, obviously scared by his outburst. How could he become so scary in a split second?

"I… I was jesting… It's just that… Oh God, you're not helping with your temper… Can we talk like adults for once? I'll make efforts, and you'll make some too, understood? So no more coming for the sole purpose of annoying me… Let's bury the hatchet, come to my place, let's have a drink you seem to need one as much as I do. And tomorrow we'll resume professional encounters only and avoid trespassing on each other's private… Well private zone."

He looked at her stunned; so, she could be an adult. She had managed to compose herself in a few seconds. She was strong he realised, maybe even stronger than Madame Giry, and definitely with a temper that vied with his own. _And a nice bosom. _He mentally slapped himself at this thought. What was happening to him? It seemed that since he had received his first kiss, he had become much more; well, curious as regards what he could never possess. He shook his head and said in the most neutral voice he could manage at that point:

"I agree. Please, lead the way, I won't say no to a drink. I hope you have some whisky?"

She managed a small smile and nodded before heading out of the bridge.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello fellow readers! Here is chapter 8. Masks are starting to fall in this chapter, and not the one you might be expecting. Be aware that there are some allusions to sexual and violent situations. It's not explicit but still, it's better that you know. **

**Hope you'll like this chapter, please leave a review if you have any thoughts and comments.**

**Enjoy!**

They hadn't uttered a word on the way back to Hortense's mansion. Once there, she waived at her governess to retire for the night after bringing her some wine and whisky.

Erik was studying every little object and details of the decoration in her living room, feeling quite disturbed to be in the same room as her and not really sure of what they would discuss while having a drink. The room was richly decorated and it was done with a lot of taste, she was definitely the daughter of an architect he thought.

She was moving a few books from the coffee table to a little writing desk from the Napoleon I era, he looked at her from the corner of his eyes as if he wanted to pierce the mystery she embodied. A few seconds later her governess brought back a bottle of red wine and Scottish whiskey. She quickly dismissed Amaia and went to pour the alcohol herself. Erik's eyes widened when he saw her filling the glass of wine far above the accepted level. She would down the bottle in less than three glasses he calculated. He said nothing and accepted his glass of whiskey, reasonably filled, and sat on the couch she showed him.

"To a newfound adulthood in our neighbourhood", she said with a smile, clinging her glass with him. When she smiled the opening of her lips showed white and regular teeth that Erik found very pleasant to look at. He took a sip to chase those weird thoughts away.

"You're not at ease." She stated, plunging her tingling eyes in his icy stare.

"I am not one for idle chat Madame."

"Hortense… Please I hate to be reminded that I use to be married when I am at home. I try my best to make Amaia call me by my first name but it seems that it will never penetrate her mind."

"Hortense… Why such a French name for one that comes from Italy?"

"Oh, that's because my mother was French. She was an Opera singer and went to Italy to make a career, which she managed pretty well for she was the first mezzo at the Teatro della Pergola until her death in 1859. I was twelve, and my father decided he couldn't stay in Florence without her and would go to the city where she was from to pay his respect to her family. That's when we travelled to Marseille… I… Well it was not an easy time for me, but it started to get better when we arrived in Biarritz two years later…" She started to say before taking a long sip of wine.

"Your mother was an opera singer; can you sing?" He asked, gradually getting more interested by his unshakeable neighbour. She let a tinkling laugh escape her mouth and said:

"I used to sing a bit with my mother when I was very young but I don't really have a talent for that, I can sing in tune but my voice is very… Well disappointingly humdrum for one with such a mother. It seems that apart from my mother's looks, I unfortunately took the rest from my father. I love music though; it has always held a special place in my heart. My guess is that you must like music very much to have picked up on that specific part of my.. Well my tale. You were tuning your piano when I first met you weren't you?"

"I was." He said, remembering how he had wanted to kick her out of his house that day. "I… I am a musician before even being an architect. I used to… Well to compose at an opera house. Music is the very essence of my life."

"Well, that is good to have a talk between adults wasn't it? I would never had thought we could find some common grounds, it's great. Where were you working and what did you do?"

He downed his drink, trying to calm himself as he felt the stress come back and threatening his apparent peace of mind.

"I would rather not talk about it Madame."

"Back to Madame I see… Well sorry for offending you I only wanted to learn more about you." She snapped.

"I am a very secretive man, I have not had an easy life and I would like to avoid re-opening some recent wounds." He said with a dark voice as he looked at her pour herself another large glass of wine and fill his own.

"I see, I see… Well we're still making progress; you didn't try to attack me yet." She said with a smile as she waived her glass at him. She was jesting he knew, testing him. He had learnt his lesson and would not answer to her provocations anymore.

"I am surprised you didn't throw me out yet Hortense, if this night has to end in a blood bath I won't be the one starting it."

"Well I still care to see tomorrow morning so I'll let you chose what you wish to tell me and what you don't monsieur de Raincourt. But may I dare to say that I still hope you'll tell me how you came to come back as the Raincourt heir after all these years."

"All in good times. I would disappoint you had I answered each of your questions at once. Curiosity killed the cat and even if my mood is lighter than usual I would advise you not to play with fire too much." He said as a warning as he was starting to be annoyed by her intrusive questions.

She smiled and finished her glass. She felt the vapours of the wine playing with her mind and even if she enjoyed teasing him she realised that he might not be ready yet to her insisting character. She didn't know why she was enjoying herself so much, trying to see through this mysterious dark stranger. She stayed silent for a while as she saw him get ill at ease again, she observed him as he released the pressure of his tie. He had long fingers and powerful hands, she wondered how it would feel if he passed them through her long locks. She blinked, Jesus she was drunk, she had to talk to stay away from those thoughts.

"Well, hum, as I said the cat is happy to stay well and alive. Can I call you Erik though? It just feels strange that I call you monsieur and you call me Hortense."

"Sure…"

"Well, Erik, I realise I am a terrible host, not only is your glass empty but also I am making you feel uncomfortable."

"I have had enough of whiskey for tonight mada… Hortense."

"Oh… How you must see me know, almost downing a bottle of wine for myself..."

"I am not one to judge." He stated, back to his calm mood. However, he felt quite worried for her, she was obviously starting to be drunk and he felt like she was not a stranger to this state.

On her side, even with her mind blurred Hortense was angry at herself, how could she show herself in this state of drunkenness to a man that she hated. Did she really hate him? Well she did at first, but now she was intrigued and she didn't know why but even if she claimed the contrary, she almost trusted him. And she had no idea why… Well she thought she did, she felt he had suffered a lot, maybe even more than she had. She felt she could tell him and he would not judge her. Maybe he would understand her, and, as much as this thought would have made her puke a week ago, she felt very similar to him. Could she? Of course she could, but she shouldn't. She knew she would regret it when sober again. But right now she wanted it so much; she wanted him to take her in those strong arms that she had witnessed earlier this morning. She wanted to discover what it meant to make love to someone you're attracted to. Erh, but she would not have sex with him. First of all because it was not proper, secondly because she needed him in control, and once she'd cross this line, she would be the one under his spell. Not that… Oh it was spinning, she had to talk and move.

"I have a piano, would you play something for me?" Erik's was surprised, indeed he had witnessed the woman's eyes going through many different emotional states and he would have expected her to say many things but not that.

"I… I guess I could." He answered. She raised up, surprisingly without losing her balance and started walking to a place in the living room that he couldn't see. He followed her and saw her sitting on the edge of a bench facing a beautiful grand piano, her cheeks pink with the alcohol. He walked around the bench and sat on the other side, his thigh brushing against her dress. God why did she have to sit that close! He started to play at once to stop thinking about her proximity, his mind was full of questions and he was feeling tense, tense on a way he had not been before. He played the piano version of Dona Anna's most famous aria in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Seductive and tormented, the way he felt right now. He had wished to play this while hearing to Christine sing it. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine it was her next to him. He could almost feel her touch on his shoulder, oh Christine, she had played with his heart and now was playing with his senses. The aria was coming to an end, and he felt a caress down to the middle of his back that made his eyes snap opened. He stopped playing and turned his head to meet Hortense's gaze. It was not his senses, she had been massaging his shoulders while he was playing and she was definitely not Christine. How could he have thought?

"Sorry I… I thought you looked tensed. It… It was beautiful, I had never heard it played this way before, it was… Passionate." She had breathed the last one as she let herself fall back on the bench. Erik felt she was tormented.

"Are you feeling alright, I think you should have some rest, you…"

"I know, I am drunk. It happens more often than you could think you know." Oh shit she had said it. Well she had rubed his back too. She should go to bed; he was right but… "I found that being drunk helps you know… It would make me forget the pain, and well, just forget. That's all I wanted: forget. When he was putting his disgusting hands over my body, when he was violating my mouth with his repulsive tongue… When… Oh god, no matter how much I drink, I still remember. He was so heavy, so fat, so old. He disgusted me. I was ruined when he first touched me, I felt dirty, I felt I shouldn't live anymore… Even if he was not doing it that often… Still it ruined me every time. I was 20 and 9 months old when I learnt I would get married to him on my 21st birthday… It was terrible. And the following year was what hell could be like if I ever end up there. I felt God had heard my desperate cries when he suffered a stroke and stayed paralyzed enough not to… Well anyway. I have spoken too much. That's why I usually drink alone and avoid social receptions on the evening. He destroyed my life. My father destroyed my innocence, you'll know that next time he'll give you some work, you'll look into his eyes for me and remember what I've told you…"

She stifled a sob. He was not ready for what she had just told him. Poor woman, full of live but so broken… Was it compassion he felt? Maybe she was not as strong as she wanted to show everyone. She had found her way to cope and take her revenge on life, but she had not yet gotten rid of her demons. He didn't know what to say, no one had ever confided in him before. At least no one had ever thrown at him that quantity of emotion. He was lost, how does someone normal react to that? He had learnt a lot with Jeanne but he had never fully confided in her, she knew more than most, but not enough to have helped him on that aspect. So he answered with the only thing he was sure would not sound odd: music. He played Liszt's Sospiro. A beautiful and sad flow of piano notes that talked more than a thousand words.

When he finished the piece, he closed the piano and looked at Hortense whose cheeks where glowing from the tears that were overflowing her eyes. She passed her arms around his back and pulled him in a hug. He was still not familiar with physical contact and did not return the embrace, too shocked by the emotional outburst of a woman he had thought a viper less than twenty-four hours ago.

She released a bit of pressure and was now facing him, but a bit too close to his liking. He felt petrified. He couldn't help a quick glance to her parted lips already moistened by tears. He felt her breath on his mouth, she smelled a mix of wine and cinnamon. The next second, his brain had stopped working. She had closed the small gap between their faces and was now moving her lips over his closed ones.

She had no idea what she was doing and felt in a kind of trance. When he had started to play, she had stopped thinking, her emotions had taken over her control. She raised her hands to the back of his head and caressed his smooth hair while she sought entrance of his mouth with her tongue. Eventually something switched in him and he grabbed her in his arms, pressing her hard against his body and responding to her kiss with passion. He left her mouth to press kisses down her jawline while his hands travelled down her back to her waist. He wanted more, more than her corset pressed against his chest. He wanted to cover her breasts with hot kisses he… What? No. He stopped at once and recoiled from her, putting an end to the spell that had been cast over them.

"No." He said out of breath. "You need to go to bed, you're drunk you don't know what you're doing, kissing a monster. I… I am sorry, thank you for your hospitality, I must take my leave." He ran away from the living room and in a split second she was all alone again.

What had happened? She was lost, she was drunk with wine and desire, how could have she wanted to do such a thing? But… But it was so different from what she had known so far. He had been gentle and his kisses had not been slimy like the slug she had for a husband, it was soft and intoxicating. She had never felt that way before, was it the alcohol? No… Not just the alcohol, if not her life would have been much easier before. She had wanted him so much, had he too? Well he had just left her after their kiss. He must have realised what he had just done, why had she told him of her past experience he must have thought her frigid and soiled, she must have disgusted him. She started to cry again as she laid down the couch, too tired to go into her bed. She would never be able to know what it felt to be loved as a woman, it was too late for her now. She was a lost case. But the music… It had been so gentle, so soothing. Her mind was sinking under a wave of contradictory emotions: hope, sorrow, desire, disgust… She did the only thing that she could do now: she cried herself to sleep.

**No Erik, why did you leave? Poor Hortense...**

**Any thoughts? Happy to hear them!**

**Until the next chapter... **

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again! Thanks for the reviews! Happy that you like the story, and don't hesitate if you have any remark or advice :)**

**Enjoy this new chapter!**

Her head was pounding. It was the wine, she knew it. And the tears. She had cried so much before falling asleep. She had cried for her mother, long gone and thus unable to hold her while she felt sad. She had cried for herself, a broken woman, incapable of overcoming her demons from the past. She had cried because she was angry at herself, at her father, and at _him_. What had she done? Kissing a man she barely knew, a man she thought she hated but whom she had enjoyed the soothing presence when he had played for her. She had been drunk but conscious of what was happening to her. She rarely forgot now that she was used to the feeling. But she wanted to, they had started to build a relationship of respect and she had ruined it, surrendering to her stupid desires to be a woman like any other. At least she could have chosen a man with more than half a face. She slapped herself at the thought. He was more a man that she could ever dream of, she had seen it, hidden behind her rock on the small beach. Yesterday had been a complicated day and she had managed to ruin whatever was the relationship they had started to build. She knew he was disgusted of her. After what she had lived no man would want to touch her anyway, she should continue the way she had done until then. No emotions, no feelings, be successful and dive into work.

Today was the day when she had to review what had been done so far in the Casino. Gather all the workers and architects, the investors and supervisors, make a speech, ask and answer some questions. If only it was that simple… He would be there. She had to face him and she would. But she would also avoid any other kind of conversation with him, not as if he would want to talk with her anymore… How she hated herself! She wanted to tell this story to someone but she was too ashamed with herself for now. She would first have to process it which should take about a week and a few bottles of wine, and then she might evoke the incident to Claire and Josephine.

She woke up, bathed and readied herself for the long day to come.

* * *

On his side Erik had had troubles sleeping. He played and replayed what happened in Hortense's house in his mind. What she had confess to him, how she had cried over it, she didn't have an easy life either. He remembered what Jeanne had told him once:

"_You have suffered a great deal, I know it. But you have to understand that a lot of people in this world have had a complicated life too, you're not the only one that has the right to claim he's hurt. At one point you'll have share with someone what you went through, and you also have to accept that someone tells you how hard his or her life is. You have a strong heart and a resistance to the rest of the world that you have built since you were a child if I understand it well, mmmh? Don't wallow in self-hatred and self-pity, it stops you from going forward, it stops you from getting what you really want. You told me you lived hidden from the rest of the world for years because the world didn't want you. That's not true, some persons were mean with you, there's always stupid and mean people and you should spit at their faces and continue on your way like nothing happened. It should not affect you! You are young, strong and from what I can see good looking. No! Don't! I mean it, half a handsome face can be better than a full ugly face. What lies under your mask only matters for you! So many people have disfiguration due to the war and despite the trauma they continue to fight for a life on this planet. You're intelligent and an amazing musician you could become whatever you want. Just accept who you are, what you've been through and also accept to allow some persons to get to you. Accept that it's rare to find someone left unscathed by life on this planet!"_

She was right, she was always right. He was not alone in his suffering and despite her beauty and strength Hortense was a broken creature, pitifully sticking to an old addiction that poisoned her mind. It had taken him time to get rid of his addiction to morphine. He had managed to gradually reduce the quantities but it had taken years. He had stop for Christine, because he wanted to be conscious of every moment he would spend in her presence. During almost ten years of his life he had gone on and on with injections. When he was in Persia, when he was an assassin… He had to forget too. His life had become a bloody chaos between killing, hating, crying and taking drugs. He was too absent of his own life to realise he could have had any girls willing to lie down for protection. He could have known what he would always be denied. Always? He could have done it yesterday! With _her_. She wanted it didn't she? She had started to kiss him, and what a kiss, her lips had been full and moist against his, she was soft but demanding… Why the hell did he stop? Had he become good? She had moved him and thus he knew she did it because she was drunk, not because she was willingly throwing herself in his arms. Such a beautiful woman, even broken, wouldn't want anything with him. But if he understood it well she had been used to giving herself while drunk. That's why she had done it, simple. She would hate him now… And he had to see her at work…

* * *

A few hours later, about forty people were gathered in the main room of the Casino Bellevue. Erik was amongst them, staring blankly at the little stage where the stakeholders would make their speech. After a bit of waiting he saw her, standing straight in her black dress closed up to her neck. She was wearing black lace which covered her skin from the middle of her cleavage to the middle of her neck. From where he was he could see the swell of her breast under the fine lace. It seemed that every time he was in the presence of this woman he was either angry, busy at hating her or willing to cover her with hungry kisses. That last state of mind made him want to hate her more, but he found it hard since their conversation the night before.

Their eyes met, his were as unreadable as possible but animated with a fire that she had not yet seen in his blue-green orbs. Hers were determinate but she winced when she crossed his stare. She was not ready to face him. She continued to walk to the middle of the stage, trying not to think about him or about anything. She made her speech, answered and asked questions. She thanked everyone and gave the next steps to follow for the future week that would precede the great opening. She quickly retreated to the other side of the building.

That's how they managed not to talk to one another for a week and half. They would cross each other's path at work but avoid any kind of conversation. Fortunately, after the renovation work had been finished on the casino, Erik returned to Antonio's office to work with him on other projects. He was highly congratulated for his patience when working with Hortense and was promised to work on a major enterprise. He had clenched his teeth when talking to the man as the images of the crying woman came back into his mind. Couldn't he see that he was the cause of all her problems? Now that he knew the story he could not see Antonio Moretti the way he had before. But the man was always happy and gave him interesting ideas to work on, the only thing he had to do was to close his eyes and continue his life as he generally did. Meddling in family traumas was not what he was looking for and he would avoid it as long as he could. He was being selfish and he didn't care. He owed her nothing, so he would mind his own business.

As neighbours, even after he no longer worked for her, he still bumped into her from time to time. They just did as they had done for days: continue on their way without saying anything; too blinded by their own pride. Things became even more complicated for Hortense after an unexpected dream. She had awakened with a gasp an unfamiliar heat between her thighs. Her cheeks had turned red when the image of the fiery passion between her and a masked man that looked very much alike Monsieur de Raincourt came back to mind. First she had made a fool of herself by showing her drunk self to this man, kissing him foolishly, and now she was having some kind of fantasy dreams about the amazing things he would do with his tongue… She should stop listening to her friends. She had been seeing them the day before and had told them the problem with her new neighbour.

"You kissed him?" Josephine had said in awe. Hortense had nodded, looking at her millefeuille shamefully.

"And you were drunk? Oh Hortense, you need to stop those old habits of yours! He's gone and he won't come back to hurt you anymore. You can start living again, and you seem to be going the right way… I saw him with your father the other day, apart from the mask, well… He looks like a gothic novel's hero, tall and dark, but with a soft side and…"

"Hum, hum." Josephine coughed to stop Claire in her day dreams. "Francois wouldn't be very happy if he knew your thoughts on Hortense's neighbour!"

"Not to worry my dear, there is absolutely no risk for me to go and seek some comfort elsewhere, we have just tried some new amazing bed sport that would make you both blush. He is amazingly supple, and god knows what he can do with his tongue…"

"Please, we're in a respectable place and I wouldn't like anybody to overhear." Hortense had interrupted, looking very embarrassed as the shadow of a blush could be seen on her olive skin.

"Sorry Hortense, you know… You're young and beautiful and there's no doubt that he finds you so. You need to force destiny my dear! You have to show him you're interested and he will come…" Claire had whispered with a smile.

"Who told you I was interested?" Had said Hortense, louder than she had intended, provoking some surprised stares from the other customers of the café place. "Sorry… It would be the worst idea of my life anyway, he is a pompous jerk! Yes, sorry to speak such a rude language in your presence but it has to be said. He had been nothing but mean to me… And I to him. Except that night… And he fled away after our kiss anyway. I just need to forget it happened and continue my business as usual and…"

"Tss, tss… No my darling." Claire had said. "Stop making simple things complicated. Sex is easy. You need someone to make you forget the other pig. That's what you need! You're a widow, not a blushing virgin, thus you can do whatever you want as long as you stay discrete!"

"Maybe I don't want to do anything, and especially not with him! Could we please change the subject of conversation? I told you what happened, end of the story." Josephine and Claire had shared a knowing look and had resumed the conversation gossiping about who might come to the season.

It seemed that their conversations were not having a positive effect on her dreams and thus on her mental state. She needed some air to forget about those heated kisses she had shared with… Oh she had to get away from this place. She quickly dressed up and went to prepare her horse. She would gallop along the coast and settle wherever her mind would let her.

She decided to get down on the beach and push her horse to full speed, she loved this feeling of freedom, her hair waving behind her. She finally stopped on a small beach next to the little creek where she had seen… No. No more thinking. She jumped down her horse and took off her high boots, exposing her legs to the warm air. She went to the water and enjoyed the feeling of the waves on her bare feet.

* * *

Not very far away, Erik was riding Éclair, like almost every morning, galloping on the sand. The stallion seemed never tired and Erik had to dedicate some time every day to make sure he would take him out. He preferred the morning for he was sure to never meet anybody on his way, but sometimes he would do it at nightfall. He had liked the previous couple of weeks. It was quiet and uneventful but it had allowed him to focus on his work for Moretti and also on more personal projects. He had started composing again, just a few piano concertos but it was better than nothing for he had thought that his music would stop with Christine's departure. He had even managed to get rid of the presence of his neighbour into his thoughts. He passed on to a slow trot, that's where he saw a silhouette half immerged into the water. He decided not to stop if the person had not noticed him. As he got closer, he could see more of the silhouette. Well shaped legs and full muscled thighs half hidden by a long shirt, long dark brown curls floating on her back; it was definitely a woman. She turned, obviously alarmed by the clapping of Éclair's hooves on the sand.

"No way…" Erik swore. Why was fate that cruel with him?

Hortense had heard the noise of what sounded like a horse approaching. It was rare to meet someone that early on the beach, especially on a horse… It couldn't be a fisher they didn't travel on horses. Oh God; she was not properly dressed, should anyone find her here they would take her for a lose woman. She had almost stumbled into an old fisher while coming back of her early morning swims at the beginning of the autumn. The water had been still warm enough but she had decided to wait for spring to go back there. Last time she had wanted to dive into the Ocean it was her bloody neighbour she had stumbled on… Not properly dressed either. So, who was this person approaching, did she need to dive into the water to hide?

"Shit…" It was _him._ Of course it had to be him anyway. Fate had decided to trouble her nights and piss her off no matter what she did. She panicked, dive into the water, run to her horse, simply vanish? Not that the last option was possible but why would her leg not work? Her arms went on her breasts, she was not wearing a corset and then, she stayed still, aghast.

"I… I… Hi?" Erik proposed uncomfortable, shifting positions on his saddle and looking at the sand.

"What… What are you doing here?" She breathed walking a bit deeper into the water and tightening her grip around her to hid whatever she could.

"I should be the one asking, I have been galloping on the coast almost every morning for two weeks… I haven't seen you before." He said meeting his eyes, obviously annoyed.

"I… Well, here I am… Hum do you mind turning your back… I… I am not properly dressed."

She had just said that when a wave crashed on her, making her lose her balance and fall into the salted water. Erik's eyes widened in awe, not because he was afraid she would drown but because when she rose up he could see _everything_ as her shirt was clinging to all her curves. He almost decided to leave but decided it was rude and he couldn't do it twice, as this time, it was not her fault. So he set foot on earth and went to her horse to grab her coat and walked to her looking away, handing her the piece of clothes. He was impressed with himself, so much self-control and gentleman like behaviour in what he had just done. Jeanne would have been happy with him.

"Th… Thanks." She said, tearing the coat from his grasp and pulling it on. "It's okay, I mean, I am more decent now… You… You can raise your eyes. I mean, if you want, you don't have to… I was just saying that I am not wet and almost naked anymore… Well I am still very wet but… Oh Jesus… Bloody hell, what am I saying, forget that please…" She blushed, horrified by what has just escaped her mouth.

Erik was about to implode. He could not meet her eyes as he felt his pants tightening at her words and after he replayed in his mind what he had just seen. That was cruel, so cruel to torture him like that.

"Please, stop talking… No harm has been done… Yet." He said huskily, meeting her gaze. He was fire, she thought. His beautiful eyes were animated by a fire that seemed to burn him alive. Was it because he saw her? Did he find her attractive, despite what he knew? Even after what she had just said? Was it a lustful stare as Claire would described when talking about Francois? Was she ready for that? What was she thinking about? Why her mind seemed to stop working properly when facing this masked man? Why was he talking about harm? Would he harm her? Oh, had she been too far? Was she being insulting?

"I… It wasn't meant to offend… I rarely find myself in such a humiliating and pitiful position. Can I have some space, I…"

Something switched in his stare, which made her take a step back.

"Humiliating and pitiful? And you walk away from me?"

"I am not… Well I am but… What's happening?" She said taking another step back as he moved forward. How could he change from a blushing passionate man to a crazy and angry beast?

"Do I frighten you? You didn't seem that frightened by my proximity the last time we were together…"

"I don't allow you to… I was drunk and… Oh Jesus I thought we were passed the childish behaviours. It happened and I am sorry, but I…"

"Oh, there's nothing childish in this situation. So, I understand better now, is it because you were drunk that you decided to jump into my arms? It's easier to forget you're kissing a monster when being in a drugged…"

The slap came. Quick but strong. She was boiling, her eyes red with unshed angry tears. Erik raised his hand to his mask to check it was still in place, before widening his eyes at her sight.

"HOW DARE YOU? After what I told you… Oh yes you are a bloody monster… You, heartless jerk, how can you say…? Oh…"

She put a hand in front of her opened mouth as the tears started to run down her cheeks. She started to run to her horse, jumped into her boots and put her horse to gallop.

Erik stayed still for a time, how did he manage to ruin everything again? She had not meant any harm this time, why did he have to push her? Why? It had been the last straw, when he had felt the slap he had wanted to slap her too but then he had seen her eyes. That's when he realised he had been too far. It was as if someone had blamed him for taking morphine to forget that he was killing in the name of the Khanum… It was true but cruel. Now she really thought him a monster. No… No, he couldn't let her… He needed to apologize. How he had deserved this slap. Something had switched within him when he had seen her, dripping wet, in nothing but a very transparent shirt. How he had wanted to kiss her in that moment. But he had done the most proper thing he had ever done since he had laid Christine on his bed and had left her alone to sleep. It had taken all his self-control. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? Was it such a humiliating situation to be left defenseless in front of him? His pride had been offended by her word and he had done the only thing he had ever done with her: be a foolish jerk to answer her mean foolishness. If they had been in politics, they would have started a war… Now was not the time to think, he needed to catch up with her, or at least to wait for her at her house.

**Any thoughts?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! I have been quite busy lately with my job (I write articles for an history magazine, en français s'il vous plait) but the rush is over now, which is great because I have been able to think about the next chapters. I'll be posting more frequently now. Hope you'll like this chapter. Please give me your reviews. If you see any mistakes let me know, I tend not to re-read my chapters enough because that's what I do for a living and I would like to find someone to spot the mistakes for me uhuh. Let me know if you're interested ;)**

* * *

She stormed into her house and without a glance she dismissed her governess to make sure that she was not to be disturbed. Her voice was trembling, her whole body was shivering with pain and hatred. She remembered having told him of her terrible wedding. Even after that he had dared to spat into her face such a cruel statement. Why did he persist to infuriate her or make her feel pained? She was used to being respected and praised by others, especially by men, but he remained an enigma whose answer laid on the pages of a book closed with a stainless steel lock.

She swore and paced around her living room, tossing away every object that came into her way. She had not been as angry since she had learnt that her father had married her to the old pig.

She eventually sat down on the couch, holding her head with her hands in an attempt to calm down.

That's how he found her when he slipped into the living room through the window, without making a single noise. She was breathing hard. He couldn't tell whether she was just panting or crying. He walked towards her bent silhouette, unsure about how to proceed. She would very likely want to murder him when she'd see him for he was the last person on Earth she would want to see now. But he couldn't risk another two weeks of complete silence. He had to act and apologize, eventhough God knows how much he hated to apologize… The wooden floor creaked under his weight, she raised her head in awe. The surprise in her teary eyes was soon replaced by sheer fury.

"Get out!" She spat, her voice trembling with rage.

He didn't move.

"Are you bloody deaf?" She yelled rising to her feet and moving toward him. He wondered how such a petite woman could become that threatening. Her voice, pleasant and low pitched when she was talking business, was now getting to the high notes he personally got to know for she was yelling at him very often.

"GET OUT! And stop standing still like an idiot! I don't want to see your bloody face ever again!"

"That I am sorry, will not happen. I have grown too fond of our discussions to give it all up."

Her face was getting redder and redder. He was sure she was trying very hard not to throw herself at him and tear his eyes out. He found it surprisingly endearing, her flushed cheeks and parted full lips were only asking to be kissed. He noticed she had changed her wet piece of clothing into pants and had put another shirt that showed the delicate swell of her breasts. The fact that he had seen her in such a state of undress by the ocean had made him lose his mind. It reminded him of his pitiful attempts to catch a glimpse of the ballet rats' skin after the rehearsal. Such views were only causing him to realise his miserable condition and that never would he be able to caress one of those lovely curves. Needless to say that he would never force himself on a woman, he resented that kind of behaviour which explained why he would never feel any remorse in killing Buquet.

He had renounced his right on feminine flesh, but that was before Christine's kiss and Hortense's kiss. Both were not given utterly willingly, but he had not seen disgust nor regret in any of these women's eyes. He wanted to hope. Also he knew that his body was his strength: climbing, sparring – physical activity in general had given him toned muscles like those carved on the Greek statues. He didn't know what women liked but he guessed that Hortense had liked what she saw at the beach. He was now sure she had seen him bathing the other day… She… Her loud angry shouts put an end to his musings.

"And I bloody hate them! As much as I hate you! First you spat to my face one of the cruellest words ever spoken to me and then you dare follow me to my house, break into my living room uninvited and MAKE FUN OF ME? GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

"Yes… Hum, about that, I obviously didn't think before stating those words. And I am sorry it hurt you, it was not my intention. But you know if you managed to hold your tongue in my presence I wouldn't lose control the way I do. I am not a tamed gentleman Madame. I am dangerous and have my temper, if you play with fire you get burnt… But I will not say such dreadful things to you ever again you have my word."

"You could have stopped at I am sorry… For God's sake, get out of my house once and for all! I don't care who you are or what you want but if you stay one more minute I will kick you out with whatever I can find and I'll make sure the other part of your face will need a mask to hide what I've done to you!"

And she did it again. She had managed to piss Erik off. She saw the emotion in his eyes gradually pass from amusement and concern to raw anger. She had just showed him how he had made her feel less than an hour ago. But it was dangerous, and she had refused to listen to his warning.

"What have I told you about the mask? And what about me being a dangerous man? You said it yourself, I am a monster. You would be a fool not to be afraid, but I am starting to think that you might be one."

His voice was low and calm, like the first thunderclaps before a huge storm. She had to say something if she wanted to stay alive.

"I don't care what lies under that mask and that's not what I meant with my threat. Hell no, I am no fool and that's why I will tell you what I think before you deem necessary to kill me. I hate you with all my heart for I told you everything about my marriage and its horrors and you then used it against me. Whether it was without thinking or not, I don't care, you said it and that's all that matters. You said it because you wanted to hurt me as much as I hurt your pride! You have no limit and you overreact all the time! I might be a complicated person to deal with and I like teasing but you take everything personally as if I had been insulting you with every word that came out of my mouth. I have never willingly tried to be cruel with my words. But you have. I have had enough pain in my life, I don't want any more. Now get out."

Her eyes were glowing with unshed tears that she was trying hard to contain. She was right he had wanted to hurt her and he had been very successful in his endeavour. He tried to say something but the words were blocked in his throat. He stared at the floor and started to walk towards the backdoor. Before he could make his way out she halted him with a trembling voice filled with tears.

"You're not a monster, Erik, but you're so persuaded you're one that you act like one, hurting everyone that get close to you eventually."

She had said his name, there was still hope. He turned on his heels to look at her but he could only see her back and her shaking shoulders caused by her silent sobs. He wanted to go back and take her in his arms, telling her he would try to be a better man. But he had caused enough pain and she would not welcome his arm anymore. He had to leave.

He walked to Antonio Moretti's house to inform him of his imminent departure. He would deal with packing the few belongings he had later. He needed to get out of the city before twilight.

He met him on the terrace where he could catch a glimpse of the rocks where the huge waves crashed. The small man stared at him surprised by his announcement. He then chuckled slightly and said.

"I see that my daughter is giving you a hard time."

"This has nothing to see with your daughter." He hissed through gritted teeth, he couldn't say anything. Moretti should not know that Hortense had told him the whole story, nor should he be aware of their complicated relationship.

"Oh I can see you two are very much alike, same fiery temper and pride. I saw the both of you on the Rocher de la Vierge's bridge, you saved her and I thank you for that. I was too far away to hear your conversation but I know there is a form of respect between the two of you. You're a very talented architect and a good man from what I have seen. I don't know what happened between you and Hortense but she needs a stir, she needs a rival, a challenge of a new kind. She has been through hell and I feel that you have caught a glimpse of this dreadful place as well. You could help each other. She pretends to be okay, but I know she is not and it's all my fault. Did she tell you I am the one to blame for her wedding with this old pig? I resent myself for what I have done, and I know she will never forgive me… But I just want her to smile again…"

"Well you should have thought twice about the wedding instead of regretting your mistake. You can't erase what she's been through, nor can I. And I am not the man for this challenge. I will now take my leave."

"No! Wait… I can give you a mission, you'll go to Arcachon for a couple of weeks, in my offices. There are some urgent matters in need to be handled. I can brief you and you'll take it from there. I fully trust your judgement. It will give you time to think and then you'll be able to come back."

"I am all ears."

"Good... Well, as an architect you must have heard of Emile and Isaac Pereire. They are the masterminds behind the Ville d'Hiver in Arcachon, I am myself a great admirer of their work and tend to get my inspiration from their plans. I have worked on a few villas over there and unfortunately one of the construction site is very late due to land subsidence. My colleagues have not managed to find a solution yet; I am sure you will. Do you accept the challenge?"

"I do."

"Fantastic. Well, please do pack some belongings, you'll leave this afternoon. You'll love Arcachon, it's very similar to Biarritz."

Erik nodded and was about to take his leave when Antonio stopped him.

"Please have a thought about what I said, you can hate me if you want, after what I've done to my daughter – I hate myself, but do forgive her. She has a good heart…"

Erik clenched his teeth and said without turning around.

"The apology is not mine to give Monsieur, I am the one who wronged her not the other way around. That is why I need to leave. She has suffered enough indeed and I tend to bring suffering everywhere I go. I bid you farewell."

Antonio watched the dark silhouette disappear in the stairs. He passed a hand on his forehead to wipe out the sweat. This Monsieur de Raincourt was a complicated character and he was still not sure whether it was a good thing to trust him. He did nothing to prove him wrong but he remained a dark and secretive person. Antonio knew he was a dangerous fellow, but he had done nothing to endanger him or his daughter or any of the citizens. He had seen him walk and behave around his daughter, the way he looked at her, he respected her. He was not a fortune digger like the other so-called gentleman that were courting Hortense in the most despicable and obvious ways.

She had inherited his dear wife's beauty and he knew how men were. This Erik seemed to be different around women, perhaps it was because of the mask. He lacked self-confidence and thus was overly shy with women. He had seen him with a group of women in the city, he was avoiding their stares and trying to find an excuse to get away from the conversation. He hated to be the centre of attention and only accepted company when it was work related. But it seemed that he had a peculiar relationship with Hortense. When she saw him in his office after her outburst he noticed a fire in her eyes, a fire that he thought would be gone forever. Because of him. Because of his debts. Because he associated with the wrong persons and endangered his family in the way. His daughter had to pay the price of his stupidity but that was that or both their lives. He couldn't leave her to die, and his life only was a poor price for them, they wanted to erase every single footprint he had left on Earth.

Montmarin was one of them. He was not the worst and he was very much in need of an heir to his empire. He proposed a deal, Hortense would marry him and they would stop further retaliation. Montmarin would pay the debts and Moretti would be able to keep his house and business under the close watch of Montmarin himself. A misstep and he would be executed, but at least, his daughter was safe. Broken but safe. After his death the secret comity shattered and a lot of its members were arrested, Antonio had managed to cover his family's back in the meantime. He hadn't told anything to his daughter for the more she knew the more in danger she would be. He had received a lot of threats in the last four months but the comity was weakened and couldn't do anything against them; for now. He knew the day when the comity will rise again and pursue him would soon arrive. That's why he needed Erik. He hated his selfishness in the matter, but Erik was strong and dangerous and he would be loyal to him and his daughter. He knew he could be a huge asset and very helpful to defend his family against this evil mafia.

But for that he needed Erik to come back, and he was sure the people that he was about to meet in Arcachon would make him want to come back as soon as he would be able to.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys! New chapter and more than 1,100 views which is pretty cool, thanks a lot :)**

**Some unexpected development coming up, also I don't feel the need to change the rating to M, let me know if you deem it necessary.**

He was gone. He was really gone. Why did he do as she said? Never would have she bet that he would follow her command. She had seen the carriage leave the house on the evening following their argument and she had not seen him ever since. It had been fourteen days. The season was to begin in less than three weeks and she had been busier than ever. But she had been thinking about her former neighbour, she had thought he would come back and try to win her back. It seemed that he was not that interested by her. For the first time in years she had wanted to seduce, she had wanted to look feminine but the man seemed not to care. Her feelings toward him didn't make any sense, she liked to hate him. He was constantly challenging her but his wit and his conversation was something she liked. She enjoyed arguing with him eventhough it eventually ended up in both of them being angry at each other. It felt good not to be treated like a fragile sexual doll with millions of Francs. But she would not see him again...

The thought made her sad, but she had to stay focus on the problems to come, she needed to talk to her father about the latest delays of the refurbishment of the hotel Victoria. She reluctantly made her way to the man's house.

* * *

Erik was furious, he had spent fourteen terrible days trying to fix minor problems that shouldn't be such a hindrance if the men there had not been such incompetent fools. He had liked Arcachon, it was a lovely coastal city, more developed than Biarritz with a bigger city centre and more entertainment buildings. It had filled his head with ideas for the city where he now had a house and a purpose. He spent his nights working on plans for a thermal resort in the heart of Biarritz. The Etablissement des Bains of Arcachon was built to lead directly on the beach sand, which was impossible in Biarritz due to the small size of the beaches. So he decided that he would look at his house's surroundings to start the construction work once it would be approved by the mayor and Moretti.

He had written a letter to Jeanne to inform her of his current occupations and make sure she was well. He was looking forward to her answer.

When his work with these pathetic idiots was finally over he jumped in the first carriage he found and made his way back to Biarritz.

He was proud of what he had achieved so far, and he couldn't recall how he had managed to leave hidden from the surface for so long. The changes brought by such a life were obvious, his skin was no longer deadly white with touches of yellow, he was healthily getting tanned by the long hours of exposure to the sun.

Even the marred side of his face was improving due to a drier environment and the fresh air. However, it remained dreadfully ugly and there was no way he would show it to anybody, especially Hortense. He was anxious to see her again, fourteen days was a short time but it felt like ages. How would she react when she'd see him again? He was afraid she would get angry again.

The carriage left him in front of Moretti's little manor. The man was unfortunately out for a meeting and his butler advised him to come later in the afternoon. He decided to get back to his house walking, he had journeyed overnight and had very little sleep due to the very bad state of the roads. He would sleep and meet with the man the following day. His plans shattered as soon as he saw the feminine silhouette walking in his direction. She wore a dark green skirt with a white shirt and a black vest, it seemed she was giving up her mourning clothes little by little. Her expression was utter surprise when she stopped in front of him.

"You're back." She stated.

"Indeed. I was off to Arcachon to support one of your father's constructions." He answered calmly.

"Oh I see… I thought you had left for good."

"You give yourself too much credit my dear Madame de Raincourt, I needed some time to think but I wouldn't have left for good because you told me to. I live here after all." He lied, for he had indeed wanted to flee like a coward.

She frowned apparently annoyed by his statement. As much as he resented it, he felt the need to add:

"I meant it when I said I was sorry Madame, I hope my return to the city will not go against any of your plans nor will you try to avoid me as soon as you spot my pitiful person."

"Am I?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

He nodded silently, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Is my father here?"

"No, he is off in a meeting."

"I see… Then will you walk back with me? I am sure you'll have much to tell me about your trip to Arcachon." She said playfully.

He smirked and offered his arm, which she took happily. He described her the city with the beautiful houses and resorts that made it bigger and more attractive for European tourists. He explained his idea about implementing a thermal resort in the heart of Biarritz, not only to attract another type of tourism but also to reach out to the rich aging population of the region. She approved of his idea and said she would be more than happy to introduce it to potential investors once the preparation of the season was over, unless he wanted to submit the idea to her father. He replied that he hadn't made his choice yet. She asked him whether he wanted to have a drink, just one, at her house. He was very much looking forward to a good sleep, yet he was so surprised that she wanted to spend time with him that he couldn't afford to refuse.

They settled in the living room in an awkward silence, sipping their white wine. He cleared his throat.

"So… I guess you no longer want to see me gone?"

"Depends. Are you willing to behave like a grown up man?"

"Depends, will you keep being an infuriating woman?"

She burst out laughing, it sounded like tingling crystal and he wondered why she didn't laugh more, it was prettier than her high pitched hysterical shouts. He joined her softly, hit by her sudden joy. Their reunion was not at all like what he had been expecting. It was smooth and cordial, there was no animosity. It was weirdly pleasant.

She raised on her feet and started to walk towards the piano. He decided to follow her.

She was glad he had accepted, but she had no idea what would happen next, the atmosphere was both relaxed and somehow tense with something she couldn't point out. She turned on her feet and saw him standing in front of her. He was even taller than she could recall, making her feel very small. His green eyes were sparkling with mischief and appeared even brighter with his slightly more tanned skin. She wished she could see his whole face, with half a face so handsome the rest couldn't be this bad she thought. What if it was? He had implied it was, which could explain why he was such a complicated character with a dark past hidden in the shadows of his cloudy mind.

"It's funny how we can be civil towards each other and then, with but a few words the spell breaks. I hope it stays the way it is now. You're a man of few words and I like to talk, I know it. You don't look that annoyed with my unceasing chat, it surprises me. Maybe it's because you're not like the other men. You're not after my money nor hum… my body… Forget about that. I… The other men, they just want to see what the talkative frigid widow is hiding under her skirts. That's why I tend to talk too much, it's a way to annoy people so that they just walk away. It doesn't work all the time though…Not that I am doing that with you, far from it."

They were close, and he swallowed hard to supress the thoughts that came into his mind. He had dreamt of her these past weeks; Christine was no longer the sole woman setting his senses aflame. She expected him not to be after her body, that was not true. He desired her so much that it hurt. He didn't know what to say, she was right he didn't talk much, he was not used to it and he never knew what was the right thing to say.

"To be honest I was not expecting you to be comfortable with my return. I thought you would never wish to speak to me again. I don't deserve your kindness or whatsoever, not after what I said to you but I am glad we can talk."

"Good." She said, smiling and staring into his eyes. Another silence followed.

"Green suits you, you should wear colours more often." He whispered unsure of what to say to break the awkward tension.

"Thank you. I… I was thinking of putting an end to this whole merry widow farce when the season starts. I…"

She was interrupted when his hand replaced a strand of curly hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek on the way. It had cost him all his courage to dare such a gesture. His heart skipped a beat when she leaned in to further put her cheek on his hand.

"You have beautiful hands, the hands of a musician." She breathed looking at his other hand, which was hanging along his thigh in desperate uselessness.

"You're different from the other men, I would never have been so bold with them. Which is also due to the fact that I don't like them nor what they want from me... What do you want from me Erik?"

"I don't know." He confessed after a few seconds, his voice husky with raw desire. "I am afraid I am not able to think at all in this very moment..."

"Good." She said in a breath as she stood on her tiptoes and sealed her lips on his.

When he didn't react for a few seconds she thought she had been right to believe he was not interested in her at all. She had spent too much time with her girlfriends who made her think she was irresistible. Oh, maybe they were right to push her she mused, as she felt his lips starting to move against her owns. She opened her mouth and felt his tongue gently taste her own in a slow waltz. His left hand reached out to the back of her head and unpinned her hair before intertwining his long fingers in her loose locks. She felt shivers running down her whole body. When his other hand went to her waist and pressed her flushed body into his hard frame, she let a moan escape her lips. She felt him smile against her mouth, which he eventually abandoned to attack her jawline and her neck with feathery kisses. Who was this man who made her knees weak as if it was nothing but jelly? He groaned when he reached her shirt's collar and in the blink of an eye his hands had abandoned her body to focus on swiftly untying it, and ripping it away from her.

She blushed when she realised she was in her corset in front of his hungry eyes.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered before planting another kiss on her lips. His hands were caressing her cleavage and she felt the unusual heat that followed her very uncatholic dreams come back between her thighs. She needed to touch him as well. The mask was scraping against her skin; it was not pleasant but she knew better than snatching it away from his face. He didn't trust her with this secret, yet. Right now it was frustrating but she had other concerns, she wanted this jacket and this shirt off. She managed to open them both before she got too dizzy with his passionate kisses and the caress of his hands along her back.

"Even better than from afar…" She said in a breath as she stared at his broad chest, delicately covered with a small patch of black hair leading from his chest muscles to the mysteries below his belt.

"I knew you lied about not being there…" He replied with a baritone laugh that sent goosebumps into her whole body. His laugh died and turned into a groan when she started to trace the hard relief of his muscles with her fingers.

"Infuriating woman." He murmured. Her laugh became a small cry of surprise when he grabbed her backside and lifted her to his height before sitting her on the wooden bureau. Her legs immediately spread out to stay as close as she could to his body. When one of her hand slipped behind his opened shirt to caress his back he stopped her with a strong grip on her wrist.

"Please…" He pleaded holding her hand away.

"I have seen the scars." She panted, staring into his eyes. "I am sorry you suffered this much, but as regards aesthetics, I couldn't care less!" She captured his mouth in another lustful kiss. When they stopped to catch their breath, he stated:

"It's because you didn't see closely enough, I can assure you that my back is not a sweet sight to your pretty eyes."

"Oh dear… If we are to do what I think we are starting to do, I don't want this shirt to be in the way. Remind me to show you a picture of my late husband, so that you can understand why a few scars won't rebuke me. But let's not talk about this disgusting slug, not when I have this in front of me…"

With those words she started to hungrily kiss his chest up to his right nipple that she softly nibbled. Never in his dream would he have thought a woman would tell him such a thing. And she was respectful enough not to speak about the mask… And she wanted to… She was about to… They were about to… To do what he would never have dreamt to do in his life… And she seemed to want it! Was God really existing? Was it paradise? The feeling of her mouth on his chest was a taste of paradise, that he was sure of. But he couldn't. No he couldn't do that to her, what would happen if she accidentally discovered his marred flesh hidden under the white mask? She would run away, like everybody else. Half angel, half demon had said the Khanum once, when he was lying, hungry and naked, in his own blood at her feet. Whatever were the horrors Hortense had seen before, nothing could prepare her to this sight. He gently cupped her chin and raised her head to meet her eyes.

"What is it?" She asked confused by his sudden halt.

"I… I can't do that to you… I told you I hate talking about the mask, and it's because of what it hides. We can't do that, you're too beautiful to sleep with a monster." His voice cracked as he took a step back.

"Erik? I wish you trusted me enough to show me the cause of your self-hatred…"

"NEVER!" He growled loudly, startling her. "I would never risk seeing the disgust in your eyes."

"Bloody hell, there's no need to yell…" She said bitterly. She met his eyes and when she saw all the sadness of the world revealed in those blue-green pools, her bitterness and anger at his outburst died immediately. She decided to do something she would never have thought herself capable of. She slowly unlaced her corset and tossed it on the flour. Apprehension made her voice tremble when she spoke again.

"Erik. Look at me and stop behaving like a child. I… I want you to touch me. I want you to take my breast into your… Into your mouth and…"

Her cheeks had never been that red in her life. She had been reading and listening to too many improper conversations. He looked at her as if she had just announced him she was in fact a shapeshifting unicorn. His mouth was doing the back and forth opening and closing movement of an eating carp. Hadn't she just admitted that she wanted to be touched by a monster? Erik couldn't believe his eyes. Those perfect and soft globes where disclosed to him, hard on the extremity, waiting to be touched and cherished. Could he do that? Was he able to take up this challenge? He decided he wouldn't disappointed her and to hell with his wretched flesh! He would face the consequences of her blindness later. The world could shatter around him and he would not raise a finger. He let a smile emerge on his lips before he walked confidently to the flushed woman sat on the wooden table. His hand brushed her nipple before cupping her generous breast. She moaned his name into his mouth as she tried to get closer to his body.

That's when they heard some knocks on the door, followed by the voice of Amaia, her governess.

"Madame, it's your father, he has just arrived and wished to talk to you."

"Is that a bloody joke? _Questo maledetto Padre_…" She swore against Erik's mouth. "Tell him to leave!"

They waited for the Governess' answer, locked in a silent embrace.

"He says it's very urgent and he must see you at once, Madame."

She sighed.

"Tell him it better be urgent because I will tear his eyes out of his skull if it's not. I'll be there in a few minutes, he can wait in the second living room."

"Yes Madame. However, I am not sure about telling him the beginning of your sentence…"

"Tell him Amaia! And not a single word about whatever you might have heard coming from this room!"

"I have heard nothing Madame." The muffled voice of Amaia answered from the other side of the living room's door. She waited for the sound of Amaia's footsteps to die away before talking again.

"I am afraid this man will never stop ruining my life…" She muttered while looking at a frustrated Erik.

"I must confess his presence doesn't enchant me at all either. I would gladly help you in your attempt to take his eyes out…" He said through gritted teeth.

She laughed swiftly and pushed him away to get back on her feet. She grabbed her corset and started to lace it back. Erik stepped in and helped her in her endeavour.

"I didn't know you were that skilled with laces…" She said with a playful smirk which he answered with a mischievous one.

He handed her now crumpled shirt which she observed for a few seconds before deciding that it would have to do. Once she was fully dressed and her hair was back in place, she turned to Erik who still bore an annoyed frown on his face.

"I am afraid you'll have to take the same exit as last time… I wish things had ended differently."

"Maybe it's for the best." He growled.

"Sweet Jesus Erik, you'll never learn! I will not let you say such stupid things again! I… I want you, and even your dreadful temper and your childish outbursts won't change the fact that the next time I see you, you'd better let me tear your shirt off!"

His frown became a smirk, how did she do to make him want to smile and kiss her with every word? That was not the case when he first met her. He had always found her attractive but he was more preoccupied by preventing himself from snapping her neck when they first talked. If he had said such a thing a few weeks ago she would have burst out in a terrible fury. But not anymore.

"What happened to your temper in my presence Hortense?" He asked, his eyes full of mischief.

"I have come to the decision that it was counterproductive. That doesn't mean I will nod to every foolish thing that leaves your very kissable mouth." She concluded her sentence with a quick kiss on his lips. "See you soon Erik!" She disappeared behind the door of the room. What the hell had just happened? Did she kiss him goodbye? Why wasn't it weird? Hadn't she say that she liked to kiss him?

He was sure she would hate him forever when he left and now, two weeks later, she had just admitted she wanted to have sex with him, and she only had a single glass of wine!

He shouldn't complain about the fact that a beautiful and intelligent young woman wanted him… But why did she? And how come she could and Christine, the woman he would never stop loving, could not? At least she was here and Christine was not. He had to move on. Even if he would never love anyone else but his sweet Christine, he would not recoil from such an attractive offer from a woman he respected very much. He was surprised not to have tried to close his eyes to imagine it was Christine in his arms and not another woman. But he had wanted Hortense to share his embrace at this very moment. There was hope. Eventhough he had been denied the love of his life, he would at least discover the joys of the flesh with a beautiful lady that he liked.

For now, he was just overly flushed and frustrated that this hateful man had taken Hortense away from him.

**Who hates Moretti now? **


End file.
